LILIACEAE: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES, USES - BIOLOGY - 2025

Liliaceae is a taxonomic family consisting of a group of herbaceous and perennial monocotyledonous plants, frequently bulbous. They are characterized by their showy, large and colorful flowers, which present sepals and free or welded petals, as well as six extruded stamens and a super ovary.

This family is made up of approximately 300 genera with a cosmopolitan distribution, mainly in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. For example, the Lilium and Tulipa genera stand out for the diversity of species of commercial interest cultivated around the world as ornamental plants.

Liliaceae. Source: pixabay.com

Liliaceae are characterized by their underground reserve organs that sometimes constitute means of vegetative reproduction, such as bulbs, rhizomes or tuberous roots. Indeed, it is a very diversified family that is located in bushes, meadows, farmlands, forests and mountain areas.

Most have some economic importance, but some species are cultivated as edible plants, to take advantage of their medicinal properties or for their high ornamental value. Previously, species of the genus Allium, such as garlic, onion or leek, were included in this classification, but today they constitute a separate family, the Alliaceae.

General characteristics

Habit

Liliaceae are perennial herbs, mainly geophytes, with a starchy rhizome, tuberous roots and a bulb or tuber. Sometimes they present a typical secondary growth of monocots. The roots are contractile, long and turgid, with numerous adventitious roots or simple hairs.

Leaves

Simple, whole, alternate, narrow, spiral or whorled leaves are arranged around a modified stem in the form of a basal rosette. They generally lack petioles and stipules, but they are sheathed at the base of the stem and have parallel venation.

flowers

These species have a great variety of inflorescences. Some grouped in spikes, panicles, clusters or umbels, others solitary or paired in axillary position. Generally hermaphrodites and actinomorphic with similar, very showy, double and simple tepals and petaloids, free or united at the base in a tubular way.

Detail of lily flowers. Source: Anne Dirkse (www.annedirkse.com)

Fruit

Usually the fruits are loculicidal or septicidal capsules, sometimes a globular berry, occasionally nuciform. The seeds are small, globular and flat, although sometimes with integument or aril. They store high oil content in their endosperm.

Taxonomy

- Kingdom: Plantae.

- Division: Angiospermae.

- Class: Monocotyledoneae.

- Order: Liliales.

- Family: Liliaceae Juss.

- Subfamily 1: Lilioideae Eaton.

- Genres: Tulipa, Fritillaria, Lilium and Gagea.

- Subfamily 2: Calochortoideae Dumortier.

- Genres: Calochortus, Streptopus, Scoliopus, Prosartes and Tricyrtis.

- Subfamily 3: Medeoloideae.

- Genres: Clintonia and Medeola.

Habitat and distribution

The different species that make up the Liliácea family have colonized diverse environments from fields and meadows, to bushes and forests. Indeed, they are located altitudinally from sea level to mountain areas at 2,500-3,500 meters above sea level.

Tulip field. Source: pixabay.com

This family is made up of about 300 genera and more than 3,000 species distributed in a cosmopolitan way across the globe. In addition, they are found wild or commercially cultivated in temperate regions, mainly in the northern hemisphere.

They are generally species adapted to flat terrain such as countryside, mountain meadows or open ecosystems. In fact, many species have adapted to arid climates, so their structure has been transformed for the storage of water and nutrients.

Indeed, in times of drought they store liquids in their modified underground stems such as bulbs, tuberobulbs, tubers or rhizomes. In addition, the leaf area acts as storage structures, since the thickened epidermal layers of its leaves prevent water loss.

In their natural habitat they are very abundant in Mediterranean environments, where they are located in different environments such as thermophilic forests. Likewise, some species are located in the coastal maquia and degraded lands or intervened by man.

Applications

Lilies are grown primarily as ornamental plants throughout the world, with lilies, lilies and tulips being the most economically important. Among the most commercialized are lilies (Lilium sp.), Tulips (Tulipa sp.), Butterfly lilies (Calochortus sp.), Giant lilies (Cardiocrinum sp.) Or checkered (Fritillaria sp.).

Representative species

Lilies

The representative species of the genus Lilium are herbaceous plants with leafy stems with covered underground bulbs that develop bulblets as a means of reproduction. They are characterized by their large fragrant flowers composed of six petals in a variety of colors that includes small spots or spots and six prominent stamens.

Lilium 'Stargazer'. Source: The original uploader was Skarg at English Wikipedia.

It constitutes a genus of more than 100 species native to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, being common throughout Europe. They are also located in the Mediterranean, Asia, Japan, India and the southern Philippines, as well as in Canada and the USA.

Tulips

Tulips are a group of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous species, hybrids or varieties belonging to the genus Tulipa. Grown for the production of cut flowers and dried bulbs, their great diversity is guaranteed by the presence of more than 5,000 registered cultivars.

Tulip cultivar 'Christmas Dream'. Source: Sakurai Midori

Among the main representatives is the common or garden tulip (Tulipa gesneriana L.). In addition, the species Tulipa agenensis, Tulipa bakeri, Tulipa fosteriana, Tulipa clusiana, Tulipa lanata, Tulipa purissima, Tulipa dela and Tulipa kaufmanniana.

Lilies

Group of plants belonging to the genus Calochortus that comprises around 65 species of herbaceous and bulbous plants with a great diversity of floral morphology. In fact, its flowers are formed by three sepals and petals, free and differentiated, in shades of yellow, white, lavender, purple, pink or red.

Calochortus dunnii. Source: Bill Bouton from San Luis Obispo, CA, USA

Native to North America, they are distributed from Canada to Guatemala, their main use being ornamental due to their attractive flowers. They are commonly known as butterfly lily, globe lily, lantern, star tulip or cat's ear, being the Calochortus venustus species the most commercialized.

Imperial crown

Crown imperial is a wild bulbous plant grown in gardening as solitary flowers or in groups in parks or gardens. Fritillaria imperialis is a species belonging to the genus Fritillaria, native to Afghanistan, Persia, Turkey, Pakistan, and the Himalayan region.

Fritillaria imperialis. Source: 4028mdk09

Cultivated as ornamentals, cultivars have been obtained with a wide range of yellow, red and orange tones. In fact, its flowers are formed by a tuft covered by small green leaves from which numerous campanulate flowers hang.

Nomocharis

The genus Nomocharis is a group of bulbous plants native to the mountainous areas of western China, northern India, and Burma. Its flowers are similar to lilies (Lilium) with the difference that in the nomocharis the flower is superficial and completely flat.

References

1. García Breijo, FJ (2016) Topic 22 (7): Liliaceae Family. Botany Teaching Unit. Agroforestry Ecosystems Department, Higher Technical School for Rural Areas and Enology. Polytechnic university of Valencia.
2. Hurrel, JA, Deluchi, G. & Tolaba, JA (2012) Liliacear Juss Family. Botanical Contributions of Salta. Faculty of Natural Sciences. National University of Salta. Vol. 11, No. 11.
3. Tormo Molina, R. (2015) Family Liliaceae. Hypertext Lessons in Botany. University of Extremadura. Recovered at: biologie.uni-hamburg.de
4. Liliaceae. (2019). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Recovered at: es.wikipedia.org
5. Liliaceae Juss. (2017) Systematics of Vascular Plants. Recovered at: thecompositaehut.com
6. Watson, L., and Dallwitz, MJ (2019) The families of Flowering Plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 3rd. Recovered at: delta-intkey.com