LILIACEAE

By: Hum K. Rana & Suresh K. Ghimire

Taxon Description 

Perennial bulbous or rhizomatous herbs; bulbs with 1–many fleshy scales. Stems erect if present or reduced. Leaves basal or cauline, alternate to opposite, or whorled, sometimes in a basal rosette, petiolate or sessile, simple, linear (filiform), lanceolate to ovate, glabrous, rarely pubescent, margin entire, veins parallel or rarely reticulate. Inflorescences a terminal raceme, umbel, reduced panicle, or flowers solitary; bracts leaf-like if present or either absent; bracteoles present or absent. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, rarely weakly zygomorphic, variously coloured. Tepals 6, in two whorls, free or united; nectaries usually present adaxially at base of tepals. Stamens 6, rarely 3, free or adnate to tepals; anthers 2-loculed, basifixed or dorsifixed, introrse or extrorse; filaments free, simple, glabrous, rarely pubescent. Carpels usually connate; ovary superior, usually 3-loculed, rarely 1-loculed, ovules many per locule; style simple; stigma capitate, scarcely or often 3-lobed. Fruit a capsule or berry. Seeds globose or flattened.

Taxon Statistics

Worldwide about 16 genera and nearly 635 species, mostly in temperate and subtropical regions. Eight genera and ca. 24 species are native to Nepal.

The family contains many species of economic importance. Species from Fritillaria, Lilium, Tulipa and Tricyrtis are grown as ornamental plants worldwide. Within these genera, a wide range of cultivars have been developed by breeding and hybridization. Bulbs/roots or leaves of Clintonia, Fritillaria, Gagea, and Lilium are used in traditional medicine. Moreover, the bulbs/roots or whole plant of Clintonia, Fritillaria, Gagea, Lilium, and Notholirion are used as food in different parts of the world.

Due to lack of specimens in herbaria under srudy, present treatment does not include description of Lilium bakerianum, L. sherrifiae, and Notholirion thomsonianum. These species have been reported from the eastern region of Nepal only. Tulipa is an exotic genus, and its varieties are cultivated as ornamentals therefore, this genus has not been described here.

Key to Genera

1 a. Flowers terminal; fruit a capsule or a cluster of berries on a leafless scape………………………………2

b. Flowers axillary; fruit a berry on leafy stem……………………….…………………………………….7. Streptopus

2 a. Stems usually unbranched; fruit a loculicidal capsule or a berry……………………………………………….3

   b. Stems usually branched; fruit a septicidal capsule…………………………………………………….8. Tricyrtis

3 a. Plant a bulbous herb; fruit a loculicidal capsule; seeds usually flattened, rarely globose……..……4

  b. Plant a rhizomatous herb; fruit a berry; seeds usually rounded………….…………………….6. Clintonia

4 a. Flowers borne on leafy scapes; leaves linear to lanceolate or ovate………………………………………….5

  b. Flowers borne on leafless scapes; leaves basal only, linear-filiform……………………………….3. Gagea

5 a. Leaves petiolate, blade ovate, with reticulate venation…………………………………….1. Cardiocrinum

  b. Leaves sessile, blade linear to lanceolate, with parallel venation……………………………………………….6

6 a. Bulbs covered with whitish papery tunics; leaf apex cirrhose or blunt…………………….2. Fritillaria

  b. Bulbs covered with brownish tunics or tunics absent; leaf apex blunt or subacute…….……….…….7

7 a. Bulbs covered with tunics; bulbils many; seeds wingless……………………………………..5. Notholirion

  b. Bulbs not covered with tunics; bulbils absent; seeds winged…………………………………………4. Lilium