Description of Family: Liliaceae

• Ex: Onion;
• Scientific Name: Allium cepa
• Commonly called the ‘Lily family’ is a characteristic representative of monocotyledonous plants. It is distributed world wide.

Vegetative characters:

• Perennial herbs with underground bulbs/corms/ rhizomes.

• Leaves mostly basal, alternate, linear, exstipulate with parallel venation.

Floral Characters:

• Inflorescence: solitary / cymose; often umbellate clusters

• Flower: bisexual; actinomorphic.

• Perianth tepal six (3+3), often united into tube; valvate aestivation

• Androecium: stamen six, 3+3, epitepalous

• Gynoecium: tricarpellary, syncarpous, ovary superior, trilocular with many ovules; axile placentation.

• Fruit: capsule, rarely berry

• Seed: endospermous

Economical Importance: Savinay Kumar JC

Many plants belonging to this family are good ornamentals (tulip, Gloriosa), source of Medicine (Aloe), vegetables (Asparagus), and Colchicine (Colchicum autumnale).