Family name: Alstroemeriaceae E. Bayer
Synonym(s): Luzuriagaceae Lotsy
Common name(s): alstroemeria or Peruvian lilies family
*Number of genera/species: 4/254
List of genera records in GRIN-Global
fruit or seed
Fruit dehiscent, three-valved, loculicidalloculicidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal)
capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels
(opens explosively in Alstroemeria), rarely berrylike and mealymealy:
loose, dry, and disintegrating in finely granular
pieces like meal or flour
(species of Bomarea), 5–15 mm long, ovoidovoid:
3D shape—ovate
to conicalconical:
3D shape—cone-shaped, with the point of attachment at the broad end
, roundround:
2D shape—orbiculate; circular
to angledangled:
2D shape—having sides that meet at acute or obtuse angles
in transectiontransection:
a cross section; representing a plane made by cutting across an organ at a right angle to its length
, often beakedbeaked:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
, usually many-seeded. Rarely with persistent tepalstepals:
a member of the perianth, when it cannot be differentiated into a calyx and corolla
, stylestyle:
in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary; sometimes persisting in fruit
, and/or stamens. Pericarppericarp:
fruit wall or fruit coat
brown or brightly colored (yellow, red, orange, purple, or blue), paperypapery:
texture—papyraceous, chartaceous; very thin, pliable, and readily torn; like paper
to leatheryleathery:
texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable
except woodywoody:
consisting mainly of indurate lignified tissues, characteristic of or resembling wood
in Bomarea, ribbedribbed:
surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface
. Seeds sometimes remain attached to placentae.
Seed globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
to ovoidovoid:
3D shape—ovate
, 2–7 mm long. Thickthick:
having or being of relatively great depth
, red, fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
sarcotesta present in Bomarea. Seed coat variously colored sometimes brightly so (red, orange, or yellow), hard, granulargranular:
surface relief—having a grainy surface
, papillatepapillate:
surface relief—bearing minute, distinct, broad-based projections, tapering to a rounded apex
, wartywarty:
surface relief—distinct, rounded projections that are large relative to the fruit size; tuberculate, verrucose
or colliculatecolliculate:
surface relief—covered with small, round projections, similar to blistered
. Phytomelanphytomelan:
carbonaceous, opaque material that usually covers the seed coat to give it a black appearance, common in certain monocot families
present in some genera. In Alstroemeria and Bomarea, a dark brown discoiddiscoid:
3D shape—resembling a disc
appendage is attached at the chalazal end of the seed.
Embryo well developed, linearlinear:
(shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide
, straight, or curvedcurved:
(of embryo) linear embryo is curved into an arch or horseshoe with the ends far apart
. Endospermendosperm:
nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds
copious.
Fruit | |
Type | usually loculicidalloculicidal: type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal) capsulecapsule: a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels , rarely berry |
Size range | 5–15 mm long |
Shape(s) | ovoid, conical |
Texture | leathery, spongyspongy: soft, light, discontinuous but cohesive, and somewhat resilient , paperypapery: texture—papyraceous, chartaceous; very thin, pliable, and readily torn; like paper , woody |
Surface relief | ribbedribbed: surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface |
Color(s) | yellow, red, orange, brown, blue, purple |
Unique features | Often brightly colored, ribbedribbed: surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface , capsulescapsules: a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels , sometimes with seeds attached to placentaplacenta: surface of the ovary that bears ovules at maturity. |
Seed | |
Size range | 2–7 mm long |
Shape(s) | globose, ellipsoidellipsoid: 3D shape—elliptic , ovoid |
Surface relief | granular, papillatepapillate: surface relief—bearing minute, distinct, broad-based projections, tapering to a rounded apex , wartywarty: surface relief—distinct, rounded projections that are large relative to the fruit size; tuberculate, verrucose , colliculate |
Color(s) | brown, yellow, yellowish brown, red, orange, black |
Unique features | Fleshy, red sarcotestasarcotesta: pulpy or fleshy outer layer of the seed coat, simulates aril present in Bomarea; phytomelanphytomelan: carbonaceous, opaque material that usually covers the seed coat to give it a black appearance, common in certain monocot families present in some genera. |
Other | |
Embryo | well developed, linearlinear: (shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide , straight or curved |
Nutritive tissuenutritive tissue: tissue within the seeds that nourishes the developing embryo; such as endosperm, perisperm, or chalazosperm in angiosperms; megagametophyte in gymnosperms |
endosperm endosperm: nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds copious |
Central and South America, including the West Indies, and Australia and the Pacific Islands.
Distribution map courtesy of Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.
Baskin and Baskin 2021Baskin and Baskin 2021:
Baskin C and Baskin J. 2021. Relationship of the lateral embryo (in grasses) to other monocot embryos: A status up-grade. Seed Science Research 31 (3): 199-210. doi:10.1017/S0960258521000209; Dahlgren et al. 1985Dahlgren et al. 1985:
Dahlgren RMT, Clifford HT, and Yeo PF. 1985. The families of the monocotyledons: structure, evolution, and taxonomy. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 520 pp.; Flora of Australia 2021+Flora of Australia 2021+:
Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Accessed January-May 2021. URL: http://www.ausflora.org.au; Kirkbride et al. 2006Kirkbride et al. 2006:
Kirkbride JH, Jr, Gunn CR, and Dallwitz MJ. 2006. Family guide for fruits and seeds, vers. 1.0. Accessed September 2020ndash;January 2022. URL: https://nt.ars-grin.gov/seedsfruits/keys/frsdfam/index.cfm .; Kubitzki et al. 1990+Kubitzki et al. 1990+:
Kubitzki K et al., eds. 1990+. The families and genera of vascular plants. 7+ vols. Berlin etc.; Sanso and Xifreda 2001Sanso and Xifreda 2001:
Sanso AM and Xifreda CC. 2001. Generic delimitation between Alstroemeria and Bomarea (Alstroemeriaceae). Annals of Botany 88 (6): 1057ndash;1069. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/anbo.2001.1548; Stevenson and Loconte 1995Stevenson and Loconte 1995:
Stevenson DW and Loconte H. 1995. A cladistic analysis of monocot families. In: Rudall PJ, Cribb PJ, Cutler DF, and Humphries CJ, eds. Monocotyledons: Systematics and Evolution. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.; Takhtajan 2009Takhtajan 2009:
Takhtajan A. 2009. Flowering plants: Second edition. Springer Nature, Switzerland. 871 pp.; Watson and Dallwitz 1992+Watson and Dallwitz 1992+:
Watson L and Dallwitz MJ. 1992+. The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 6th Accessed September 2020-September 2022. URL: delta-intkey.com
*The number of genera and species is based on Christenhusz and Byng 2016Christenhusz and Byng 2016:
Christenhusz MJM and Byng JW. 2016. The number of known plant species in the world and its annual increase. Phytotaxa 261 (3): 201ndash;217. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1, which may differ from the number of genera in GRIN-Global.