''Eriospermum'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

ous

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s. It contains about 80-100 species, native to

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

Name

The name "Eriospermum" is from the

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

''erion'' for "wool" and ''sperma'' for "seed". In the APG III classification system, the genus is placed in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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''. This family includes both ...

, subfamily

Nolinoideae Nolinoideae is a monocot subfamily of the family Asparagaceae in the APG III system of 2009. It used to be treated as a separate family, Ruscaceae s.l. The family name is derived from the generic name of the type genus, '' Nolina''. The subfam ...

(formerly the family Ruscaceae). It was formerly placed in its own family, Eriospermaceae.

Selected species

Sources:Perry, P.L. (1994) ''A Revision of the Genus Eriospermum (Eriospermaceae)''. Bolus Herbarium, University of Cape Town, 1: 1-320. *'' Eriospermum aphyllum'' *'' Eriospermum bayeri'' *'' Eriospermum bowieanum'' *'' Eriospermum breviscapum'' *'' Eriospermum capense'' *'' Eriospermum cooperi'' *'' Eriospermum dregei'' *'' Eriospermum exile'' *'' Eriospermum graminifolium'' *'' Eriospermum lanceifolium'' *'' Eriospermum paradoxum'' *'' Eriospermum proliferum'' *'' Eriospermum pubescens'' *'' Eriospermum zeyheri''

Gallery

File:Eriospermum abyssinicum 1DS-II 3-7249.jpg, '' Eriospermum abyssinicum''. The genus name ''"Eriospermum"'' means "wool-seeds". File:Eriospermum aphyllum00.jpg, '' Eriospermum aphyllum'' File:Eriospermum boweianum - Bonnievale.jpg, '' Eriospermum bowieanum'' File:Eriospermum confusum..jpg, '' Eriospermum corymbosum'' File:Eriospermum capense (Asparagaceae) (27061758182).jpg, '' Eriospermum capense'' File:Eriospermum mackenii subsp. mackenii 1DS-II 9109.jpg, '' Eriospermum mackenii'' File:Eriospermum paradoxum - Ashton South Africa.jpg, '' Eriospermum paradoxum'' File:Eriospermum porphyrium 1DS-II 4-2705.jpg, '' Eriospermum porphyrium''

References

Asparagaceae genera {{Asparagaceae-stub