This document provides a taxonomy and description of plants in the Liliaceae family. It discusses the classification, distribution, botanical description, morphology, floral morphology and economic importance. Key points include that Liliaceae includes about 250 genera and 3700 species with a cosmopolitan distribution. Most are perennial herbs but some are shrubs, trees or climbers. Economically important plants include onions, garlic, lilies and medicinal plants like Aloe vera.

1. Taxonomy of Angiosperms
Family-Liliaceae
Dr. A. S. Naik

2. Classification
• Division: Angiospermae
• Class: Monocotyledonae
• Series: Coronarieae
• Order: Liliflorae
• Family: Liliaceae

3. Distribution
• It includes about 250 genera and 3700
species.
• Have a cosmopolitan distribution.
• Around 200 species are available in India

4. Botanical Description
• Habit: Mostly perennial
herbs, stem often
modified into bulbs or
corms.
• Rarely shrubs and trees
(Dracenea, Yucca).
• Some are climbers
(Gloriosa, Smilax).
• Many are xerophytes
(Aloe, Agave and
Asparagus).

5. Dracaena, Gloriosa,Agave, Asperagus

6. Vegetative morphology
• Root: Adventitious,
fibrous, sometimes
tuberose.
• Stem: Erect or climbing,
branched or
unbranched
herbaceous, may be
modified as phylloclade
(Ruscus) or cladode
(Asparagus) or bulb
(Alium)

7. Botanical description
• Leaves: Radical or cauline,
simple or rarely
compound well
developed or reduced to
sheaths or scales, tubular.
Venation is parallel and
reticulate in Smilax.
• Inflorescence: Variable,
mostly racemose, simple
raceme or spike or umbel
or panicle. Sometimes
solitary cyme (tulips).

8. Floral Morphology
Flower: Bracteate, actinomorphic, bisexual, pedicellate,
homochlamydeous, trimerous, incomplete, and hypogynous.
Perianth: Tepals 6, in two whorls, polyphyllous or gamophyllous,
imbricate or valvate aestivation.
Androecium: Stamens 6, in two whorls of three each usually free or
attached to tepals (epiphyllous) anthers dithecous, usually versatile,
introse or extrose.
Gynoecium: Carpels 3 (tricarpellary), syncarpous, trilocular, two ovules
in each locule attached on axile placentation, style simple, stigma trifid,
and ovary superior.
Fruit: Berry or capsule.
Seed: Small, endospermic.

9. Allium cepa

10. Floral morphology

11. Economic Importance
• As edible plants: onion (A. cepa), garlic (A.
sativum), leeks (A. porum), shallots (A.
ascalonicum), and chives (A. schoenoprasum).
• Important ornamentals:
Lilies, Tulip(Tulipa), Frittalaria ,
Asparagus officinalis .
• Medicinal:
Aloe vera, Allium cepa, A.sativum,
Colchicum autumnale