Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae: Asparagales

Hypoxidaceae - African potato family

Nordal, I. & Zimudzi, C. (2001) Hypoxidaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(3)

Description of the family

Herbaceous geophytes, with rhizomes (Curculigo) or corms (Hypoxis). Leaves basal, arranged one above another in 3 vertical rows; lamina linear to lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate to ovate, parallel-veined, ± pubescent. Inflorescence racemose, corymbose or with flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, 3-merous, epigynous. Perianth with 6 segments, yellowish on the adaxial side, greenish or purplish-streaked outside. Stamens 6; anthers opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary inferior, 3-locular. Fruit a berry (Curculigo) or a capsule (Hypoxis).

Worldwide: 8 genera and 220 species, southern hemisphere.

Zimbabwe: 2 genera and 12 taxa.

Links to genera: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

Genus	Content
Curculigo Gaertn.	Description, Image
Hypoxis L.	Description, Image

Other sources of information about Hypoxidaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Hypoxidaceae
Flora of Burundi: Hypoxidaceae
Flora of the DRC: Hypoxidaceae
Flora of Malawi: Hypoxidaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Hypoxidaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Hypoxidaceae
Flora of Zambia: Hypoxidaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Hypoxidaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Hypoxidaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Hypoxidaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Hypoxidaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Hypoxidaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Hypoxidaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Hypoxidaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Hypoxidaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Hypoxidaceae
Wikipedia: Hypoxidaceae
Plants of the World Online: Hypoxidaceae
Tropicos: Hypoxidaceae