genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of about 65 species, rhizomatous
perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
s in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, '' Asparagus officinalis''. Those who live in the temperate ...
, subfamily
Agavoideae
Agavoideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has previously been treated as a separate family, Agavaceae. The group includes many well-known desert and dry-zone types, such as the agave ...
. It was formerly placed in its own family, Anthericeae. The species have
rhizomatous
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow h ...
or
tuber
Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...
ous roots, long narrow leaves and branched stems carrying starry white
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
s. The members of this
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
occur mainly in the tropics and
southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number ...
and
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
, but are also represented in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
word ανθερικος (''antherikos''), meaning "straw", referring to the narrow leaves.
Only two species are in general cultivation. A number of species are now included in the genus '' Chlorophytum'', the Spider Plant, a familiar and popular house plant. Others, including the St. Bruno's Lily, are now classed in the genus '' Paradisea''.
Bulbine frutescens
''Bulbine frutescens'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Bulbine'', native to southern Africa ( South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini).
Description
This variable species grows as a small shrub, with short, low stems that produce roots ...
Bulbinella hookeri
''Bulbinella'' is a genus of plants in the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Asphodeloideae,Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards)"Asphodeloideae" ''Angiosperm Phylogeny Website''. Retrieved 2016-06-10. first described as a genus in 1843. Many species are en ...
Eccremis coarctata
''Excremis'' is a genus of herbs in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1829. There are only one known species, ''Excremis coarctata'', native to South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and northwestern Br ...
Echeandia flavescens
''Echeandia'' (common name craglily) is a genus of New World plants in the century plant subfamily within the asparagus family.
Etymology
It is named for Spanish botanist Pedro Gregorio Echeandía (1746–1817). Species in the genus are dis ...
Drimia fragrans
''Drimia'' is a genus of flowering plants. In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (formerly the family Hyacinthaceae). When broadly circumscribed, the genus includes a number of other ...
Drimia physodes
''Drimia'' is a genus of flowering plants. In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (formerly the family Hyacinthaceae). When broadly circumscribed, the genus includes a number of oth ...
Pasithea caerulea
''Pasithea '' is a genus of herbs in the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae,Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards)"Hemerocallidoideae" ''Angiosperm Phylogeny Website''. Retrieved 2016-06-10. first described as a genus in 1832. It contains ...
Simethis planifolia
''Simethis'' is a genus of plants in the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae. It contains only one known species, ''Simethis mattiazzii'', commonly called the Kerry lily.