Seedpods of the Liliaceae Family

In most members of this Family, the seedpod is a capsule with three sections,
each containing two rows of seeds, formed from a superior ovary.


Agapanthus Seedpods

The Liliaceae Family seems to have been the subject of so much amendment by the Botanists that I had to check whether the genus Lilium was still included in it! Almost ever other genus that used to be in this Family seems to have been given a separate Family of its own, which surely defeats the purpose of having Plant Families in the first place? Genera which used to be classified in the Family Liliaceae (and the new Family they're now in) include the following:

Agapanthus (Alliaceae), Allium (Alliaceae), Aloe (Aloaceae), Anthericum (Anthericaceae), Asparagus (Asparagaceae), Calochortus, Camassia (Hyacinthaceae), Colchicum (Colchicaceae), Convallaria (Convallariaceae), Eremurus (Asphodelaceae), Erythronium, Eucomis (Hyacinthaceae), Fritillaria, Gloriosa (Colchicaceae), Hemerocallis (Hemerocallidaceae), Hosta (Hostaceae), Kniphofia (Asphodelaceae), Lapageria (Philesiaceae), Lilium, Liriope (Convallariaceae), Muscari (Hyacinthaceae), Nomocharis, Ornithogalum (Hyacinthaceae), Scilla (Hyacinthaceae), Tulbaghia (Alliaceae), Tulipa, Veratrum (Melanthiaceae), Yucca (Agavaceae).

Even though most of them seem to have been taken out of this Family, they all have the same type of seedpod (which may well have been one of the characteristics that placed them in the same Family in the first place), so for the purpose of this section, I'm including them here. The seedpod common to all the members of the old Liliaceae Family is a capsule formed from a superior ovary, with three sections each containing two rows of seeds.

The seedpods of plants in this Family are very similar to those of members of both the Iridaceae and Amaryllidaceae Families, but the seedpods of these two Families are formed from inferior ovaries.

Some examples of seedpods of plants formerly in this Family (before it was divided) are:


Lilium

Eucomis

Hemerocallis

Anthericum

Hosta

Kniphofia

For more information on the Liliaceae Plant Family, click here

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