Amaryllidaceae

▪ plant family

      family of perennial herbs in the flowering plant order Asparagales (Liliales), containing 59 genera and at least 800 species, distributed primarily in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Members of the family have bulbs or underground stems, several strap- or lance-shaped leaves grouped at the base of the stem or arranged alternately along the stem, flowers usually with three petals and three sepals, and dry, capsule-shaped, and fleshy or berrylike fruits.

      Many species are cultivated as garden ornamentals or pot plants, especially the belladonna lily (Amaryllis belladonna), tuberose (Polianthes), snowdrop (Galanthus), snowflake (Leucojum), and daffodil (Narcissus). Many tropical lilylike plants also belong to the family, such as those of the genera Haemanthus ( Cape tulip, or blood lily), Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily), and Hippeastrum; the hippeastrums, grown for their large, showy flowers, are commonly known as amaryllis. An ornamental Eurasian plant known as winter daffodil (Sternbergia lutea) is often cultivated in borders or rock gardens. Clivia miniata, a South African perennial, is cultivated as a houseplant for its orange flowers lined with yellow.

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