Hesperocallidaceae
Encyclopedia
Hesperocallis is a genus
of flowering plant
s that includes a single species, Hesperocallis undulata, the desert lily or ajo lily, found in the desert areas of the southwest of North America.
In the APG III system
, adopted here, Hesperocallis is placed in the family
Asparagaceae
, subfamily Agavoideae, since recent molecular systematic studies ((Pires et al. 2004) have confirmed a close relationship with Agave
. Other classifications have included the species in its own family, Hemerocallidaceae, or placed it in the Hostaceae (Funkiaceae); both families are submerged into the Agavoideae in the APG III system. As with many of the 'lilioid monocot
s', prior to the use of molecular evidence in classification, it was placed in the Liliaceae
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s that includes a single species, Hesperocallis undulata, the desert lily or ajo lily, found in the desert areas of the southwest of North America.
In the APG III system
APG III system
The APG III system of flowering plant classification is the third version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy...
, adopted here, Hesperocallis is placed in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots.In earlier classification systems, the species involved were often treated as belonging to the family Liliaceae...
, subfamily Agavoideae, since recent molecular systematic studies ((Pires et al. 2004) have confirmed a close relationship with Agave
Agave
Agave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
. Other classifications have included the species in its own family, Hemerocallidaceae, or placed it in the Hostaceae (Funkiaceae); both families are submerged into the Agavoideae in the APG III system. As with many of the 'lilioid monocot
Lilioid monocot
Lilioid monocots or lilioids is an informal name used for a grade of five monocot orders in which the majority of species have flowers with relatively large, coloured tepals, broadly similar to those of lilies...
s', prior to the use of molecular evidence in classification, it was placed in the Liliaceae
Liliaceae
The Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...
.
External links
- Hesperocallis in the Flora of North America (treated as a member of the family LiliaceaeLiliaceaeThe Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...
); Distribution Map - genus and species entry at the USDA
- short description, with picture
- seven more pictures
- NCBI Taxonomy Browser
- links at CSDL, Texas
- American Indian Ethnobotany Database