Amaryllidaceae

Taxonomy

Family name: Amaryllidaceae J. St.-Hilaire

Synonym(s): Agapanthaceae F. Voigt; Alliaceae Borkh., nom. cons.; Brunsvigiaceae Horan.; Cepaceae Salisb.; Cyrtanthaceae Salisb.; Galanthaceae G. Mey.; Gethyllidaceae Raf.; Gilliesiaceae Lindl.; Haemanthaceae Salisb.; Leucojaceae Batsch ex Borkh.; Milulaceae Traub; Narcissaceae Juss.; Oporanthaceae Salisb.; Pancratiaceae Horan.; Strumariaceae Salisb.; Tulbaghiaceae Salisb.; Zephyranthaceae Salisb.

Common name(s): amaryllis family

*Number of genera/species: 75/1600

List of genera records in GRIN-Global

Disseminule

fruit or seed

Description

Fruit dehiscent, loculicidalloculicidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal)
capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels
or sometimes indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
, berryberry:
an indehiscent, fleshy fruit with one or a few to many seeds. The flesh may be homogenous throughout. Or, if the outer part is hard, firm, or leathery, referred to as an hesperidium. Septa are present in some, and the seeds may be arillate or with a fleshy testa.
, 4–76 mm long, oblateoblate:
depressed globose
to fusiformfusiform:
spindle-shaped; broadest at the middle and tapering at both ends
, tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
or 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
, beakedbeaked:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
(Ammocharis, Boophone, and some species of Crinum), one or few to many seeded. Perianthperianth:
collective term for calyx and corolla of a flower
sometimes persistent. Pericarppericarp:
fruit wall or fruit coat
white, green, purple, yellow, orange, or red, membranousmembranous:
texture—extremely thin, pliable, and fairly tough
, leatheryleathery:
texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable
, fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
or indurateindurate:
texture—hardened or stony; yielding under strong pressure; not deformable without internal structural disruption
, and often 3- or 6- lobed to ribbedribbed:
surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface
or undulateundulate:
wavy-margined
.

Seed globose to ovateovate:
2D shape—egg-shaped in outline, widest point is towards one end of the organ, the other end tapers gradually, attachment at or near the broad end (compare obovate, ovoid)
, D-shapedD-shaped:
2D shape—has one straight margin and one curved margin, resembling the shape of the letter D
, or cuneiformcuneiform:
=wedge-shaped
, compressedcompressed:
flattened; in grasses, used to denote compression (not necessarily flattened) either laterally or dorsiventrally
, triangulartriangular:
2D shape—three relatively straight sides with distinct corners; more angular than teardrop-shaped
, or tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
transection, 2–43 mm long. Flattened seeds are usually winged. Galanthus, Leucojum, Narcissus, Sternbergia, and Pancratium seeds have fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
elaisomes. Seed coat loose, shinyshiny:
uniformly reflecting a high proportion of incident light at all angles
or dulldull:
reflecting only a low proportion of incident light, with no apparent sheen
, smooth or variously ornamented.

Seeds are often orthodoxorthodox:
(of seed) seed that can be dried to low moisture levels
, usually with a phytomelanphytomelan:
carbonaceous, opaque material that usually covers the seed coat to give it a black appearance, common in certain monocot families
crust, and black or brown in color, but in a number of genera, the seeds are recalcitrantrecalcitrant:
(of seed) seed cannot be dried below relatively high moisture levels
with high water content (or turgid) and without a phytomelanphytomelan:
carbonaceous, opaque material that usually covers the seed coat to give it a black appearance, common in certain monocot families
crust. These turgid seeds are typically large, globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
, and green. In Brunsvigia, Crossyne, Hessea, Nerine and Strummaria, the seed coat and embryo are green. In Amaryllis, the seed coat is achlorophyllus, but the embryo is green. Species of Crinum with turgid seeds also have green embryos.

Embryo well developed, axil and centric, 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, fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
or hard.

Identification features

Fruit
Type	loculicidal loculicidal: type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal) capsulecapsule: a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels , sometimes a berry
Size range	4–76 mm long
Shape(s)	oblate, oblongoblong: 2D shape—much longer than broad with nearly parallel sides, corners are rounded , ellipsoidellipsoid: 3D shape—elliptic , ovoidovoid: 3D shape—ovate , cylindricalcylindrical: 3D shape—a cylinder, with parallel sides and a circular cross-section; tubular or rod-shaped , obcordateobcordate: 2D shape—heart-shaped, with attachment at or near the narrow end (compare cordate) , cuneiformcuneiform: =wedge-shaped , fusiformfusiform: spindle-shaped; broadest at the middle and tapering at both ends , trigonoustrigonous: 3D shape—having three faces that meet at distinct angles; triangular in outline , teardrop-shaped
Texture	fleshy, indurateindurate: texture—hardened or stony; yielding under strong pressure; not deformable without internal structural disruption , membranousmembranous: texture—extremely thin, pliable, and fairly tough , leathery
Surface relief	smooth or ribbedribbed: surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface , undulated
Color(s)	red, yellow, orange, purple, green, white, sometimes specked
Unique features	Often brightly colored capsulescapsule: a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels , sometimes berriesberry: an indehiscent, fleshy fruit with one or a few to many seeds. The flesh may be homogenous throughout. Or, if the outer part is hard, firm, or leathery, referred to as an hesperidium. Septa are present in some, and the seeds may be arillate or with a fleshy testa. , with beaks formed from periogone tubes in several genera, and black or brown phytomelanphytomelan: carbonaceous, opaque material that usually covers the seed coat to give it a black appearance, common in certain monocot families encrusted seeds.
Seed
Size range	2–43 mm long
Shape(s)	globose, ovoidovoid: 3D shape—ovate , ellipsoidellipsoid: 3D shape—elliptic , D-shapedD-shaped: 2D shape—has one straight margin and one curved margin, resembling the shape of the letter D , cuneiform
Surface relief	ribbed, reticulatereticulate: surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces , 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 , wrinkledwrinkled: surface relief—shallow, irregular folds and furrows covering the surface; appearing overall though crumpled and then spread out , pitted
Color(s)	black, brown, green, red, white, gray
Unique features	Seeds usually encrused with phytomelanphytomelan: carbonaceous, opaque material that usually covers the seed coat to give it a black appearance, common in certain monocot families , sometimes winged or with elaiosomeselaiosome: a lipid and protein-rich fleshy structure attached to some seeds and fruits, it attracts ants which then disperse the disseminule (e.g., caruncle in the Euphorbiaceae, the aril (outgrowth of the funiculus) in the Fabaceae) .
Other
Embryo	well developed, axil and centric, 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, fleshyfleshy: texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut or hard in texture

Distribution

Temperate and tropical areas in the Americas, Eurasia, Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Distribution map courtesy of Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.

References

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*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): 201-217. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1, which may differ from the number of genera in GRIN-Global.