Introduction to the Amaryllidaceae Family

The Amaryllidaceae family is a gorgeous family of often showy flowers, making them popular in gardens and the cut flower industry. My first experience with the family is with wild onion (Allium) species, which produce small umbels of lovely flowers and often smell like the onions we eat due to the presence of sulfide compounds. These are common in temperate climates, and when I went further south I got to explore the more large-flowered species of the Amarylidoideae subfamily, which are virtually all worthy of a spot in your native garden.

Beginner’s Guide to the Amaryllis (Amaryllidaceae) Family

If you’re new to plant morphology, this guide is a perfect beginner’s description for learning to identify the Amaryllidaceae family, with no need to know any scientific jargon. Below this section are morphology photos to help you identify the family, followed by pictures of individual species found in North America. But for researchers or those wanting to learn a more in-depth version, refer to the Scientific Botanical Description below the images for highly detailed scientific descriptions and genus-level distribution data.

Leaves and Stems of the Amaryllis Family

The Amaryllis family is a family of mostly herbaceous bulbs, although some genera have rhizomes (thick roots). They usually have a grouping of leaves from their base, often lacking stems altogether, with leaves that are simple and often flat, rounded, or angular and may be onion-scented in the onion subfamily.

Flowers of the Amaryllis Family

Flowers always contain both male (stamens) and female (ovary, stigma, and style) parts in the same flower (bisexual). They may appear on their own or grouped in various inflorescences, often umbel-like, on leafless stalks (scapes), often enclosed in spathe-like bracts at the base. Flowers are made of 6 petal-like tepals in 2 whorls, but some have an extra inner whorl (corona) that may come in a wide range of colors.

Reproductive Features of the Amaryllis Family

There are nearly always 6 stamens in 2 whorls (3+3), but occasionally they are fused at the base or into a tube, and they may or may not have appendages at their base. The ovary almost always has 3 chambers (locules) with a single, usually terminal style.

Fruits of the Amaryllis Family

Fruits are nearly always dry capsules that split apart when mature, but rarely is it a berry.

Morphology of Amaryllidaceae in North America

Some Species of Amaryllidaceae Found in North America

Allioideae Subfamily

Allium drummondii—Drummond’s Onion

This bulb-forming perennial smells mildly of onion and produces pretty umbels of pink or white flowers every spring. It is a very common native, considered invasive in some areas, especially in Texas, where it is very abundant. However, it is native to the south-central United States (including Texas) and south into northeastern Mexico.

Allium textile—Textile Onion

This lovely wild onion produces egg-shaped bulbs and a leafless scape up to 40 cm tall with bell-shaped flowers with yellow anthers and pollen. It is native to the Canadian prairies (AB, SK, MB) and south through the plains and Rocky Mountain region as far south as northern New Mexico.

Allium vineale—Wild Garlic

This one is easy to identify, as it smells strongly of garlic and produces a unique inflorescence of bulbils rather than flowers (no to few flowers) that often start growing while still attached, like this one in the photo. It is native to Europe and Africa and is becoming invasive in North America.

Nothoscordum bivalve—Crow Poison

This bulbous perennial produces 1 to 4 narrow leaves, each up to 30 cm long, and an umbel of 3 to 6 flowers with whitish tepals and a dark midvein; it does not smell of garlic or onion. It is native to the southeastern USA, Mexico, and South America.

Amaryllidoideae Subfamily

Hymenocallis liriosme—Texas Spider-Lily

This beautiful native plant produces wide, flat, strappy leaves and few-flowered umbels, each with large white flowers that have conspicuous long, skinny tepals and a prominent yellow-green ‘eye’ in the center. It is endemic to the southeastern USA.

Narcissus jonquilla—Rush Daffodil

This variety is one of several daffodil species that have been introduced to North America; this one was growing in a forest in Virginia, USA. Daffodils have a corona in the center that is often very large and usually yellow, surrounding the reproductive parts of the flower.

Uses of the Amaryllidaceae 

There are numerous cultivated species in this family for their often large and showy colorful flowers, including common garden plants and cut flowers like daffodils, snowdrops, numerous lily-like plants, and others from the Amaryllis, Crinum, Sternbergia, Nerine, and Clivia genera. There are also several vegetables from the Allioideae subfamily, including onions, chives, leeks, and garlic. A small number of species are used medicinally, mostly in indigenous medicines.

Ecosystem and Wildlife Values of the Amaryllidaceae

The Amaryllidaceae often provide food and habitat for insects, pollinators, and small animals. Animals will feed on the bulbous roots while countless pollinators flock to the floral nectaries found in their flowers.

Many species are also known for their ecological resilience in dry or harsh environments. This family are renowned for their ecological resilience in dry or challenging environments and for producing specialized compounds that serve both ecological and medicinal functions.

Taxonomy of the Amaryllidaceae Family

The Amaryllidaceae is a family with 1,605 species in 73 genera of the Asparagales order of non-commelinid monocots. It was and occasionally may still be found included in the Liliaceae family, but molecular phylogenetics does not support this classification. Furthermore, sometimes the Allioideae is separated, but under the current description it is a subfamily, and we have included it here. The Amaryllidaceae currently has 3 accepted subfamilies:

Agapanthoideae Subfamily

The Agapanthoideae is a small family of 1 genus and 8 species from South Africa. They are robust rhizomatous herbs with fleshy two-ranked leaves and scapose umbellate inflorescences of mostly large blue flowers.

Genera of the Agapanthoideae Subfamily

Agapanthus (8).

Allioideae Subfamily

The Allioideae is a large subfamily (the former onion family) of 795 species, almost entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, from cold temperate to subtropical climates. They are characterized by being bulbous or rhizomatous perennials with a characteristic onion odor from sulfur compounds, spiral leaves with closed sheaths, and laticifers.

Genera of the Allioideae Subfamily

Allium (970-1112), Atacamallium (1), Gilliesia (13 inc. Solaria), Ipheion (3), Latace (2), Leucocoryne (48), Miersia (11 inc. Speea), Nothoscordum (94), Schickendantziella (1), Trichlora (4), Tristagma (17), and Tulbaghia (28).

Amaryllidoideae Subfamily

The Amaryllidoideae is the largest subfamily, with 900 species in 75 genera; they are mostly tropical, especially in South America and Africa. They are mostly perennial bulbous geophytes with strap-shaped leaves and showy flowers.

Genera of the Amaryllidoideae Subfamily

Amaryllis (2), Ammocharis (7), Boophone (2), Brunsvigia (19), Calostemma (3), Cearanthes (1), Chlidanthus (5), Clinanthus (24), Clivia (6), Crinum (116), Crossyne (2), Cryptostephanus (3), Cyrtanthus (59), Eremolirion (1 or syn. Paposoa), Eucrosia (6), Eustephia (6), Galanthus (25), Gethyllis (31), Griffinia (23), Haemanthus (24), Hannonia (1), Hessea (14), Hieronymiella (11), Hippeastrum (116), Hymenocallis (67), Ismene (11), Lapiedra (1), Leptochiton (2), Leucojum (3?), Lycoris (25), Mathieua (1), Narcissus (76), Nerine (25), Pamianthe (3), Pancratium (24), Paposoa (1), Paramongaia (5), Phaedranassa (11), Phycella (13 inc. Placea), Plagiolirion (1), Proiphys (5), Pyrolirion (8), Rauhia (5), Rhodolirium (2), Scadoxus (9), Shoubiaonia (1), Stenomesson (19), Sternbergia (8), Strumaria (29), Traubia (1), Ungernia (10), Urceolina (29), Vagaria (2), Worsleya (1), Zephyranthes (192).

Key Differences From Similar Families

This family can be confused with other plants with storage organs, including the Iridaceae. However, they can be differentiated easily when in flower because the Iridaceae always has 3 stamens instead of 6.

The Amaryllidaceae, particularly certain members of the Allioideae subfamily, can also be confused with some Liliaceae, which have 6 stamens and a superior ovary. However, Liliaceae flowers are typically aggregated in racemes, panicles, or spikes rather than umbels, and when umbel-like clusters do occur, they lack the membranous spathe bracts that Amaryllidaceae typically have. Furthermore, most Allioideae produce unique sulferous compounds that smell of garlic or onions when crushed, and most possess basal aggregations of leaves, while Liliaceae lack the sulfur compounds and have cauline leaves instead.

Scientific Botanical Description of the Amaryllidaceae Family

Habit & Leaf Form of the Amaryllidaceae Family

The Amaryllidaceae are a family of mostly geophyte herbs, occasionally epiphytes or aquatics, that may be herbaceous or succulent, often deciduous. Most of the family is bulbous, a key characteristic, but some are rhizomatous (Agapanthus, Clivia, and Scadoxus), and some may appear transitional between the two. They are perennials that usually (but not always) have a basal aggregation of leaves. Hydrophytes are rooted and have their leaves submerged. Most others are mesophytic, but xerophytic herbs are also seen.

Leaves are mostly alternate distichous but can be spiral (e.g., Crinum), sessile (usually), or nearly petiolate. They are always sheathing, typically with free margins. Leaves are simple, entire, linear, lanceolate, oblong, ovate, or orbicular and may be flat, rolled, terete, or angular. In Allioideae, they are often onion-scented due to allylic sulfide compounds. Leaves are parallel-veined and never have cross-veins. Lamina margins are entire. Leaf development is graminaceous. Stomata are present and anomocytic. Mesophyll, often with mucilage cells and crystal raphides, may be laticiferous in Allioideae.

Flowers of the Amaryllidaceae Family

Plants of the Amaryllidaceae family are always hermaphrodites with floral nectaries, mostly from the gynoecium from septal nectaries; pollination is mostly entomophilous. Flowers may be solitary or aggregated in condensed cymes, umbels, umbellate helicoid cymes (esp. Allioideae), or heads (by condensation). Inflorescences are scapiflorous, usually with involucral bracts (mostly with 2 (1–8), typically spathe-like, free or connate scales).

Flowers are actinomorphic to very irregular and somewhat zygomorphic, 3-merous, and tetracyclic or pentacyclic. The perigone tube may be present (short to long) or absent. The perianth is made of 6 tepals, free to join into a floral tube at the base, arranged in 2 whorls (3+3 but often with a conspicuous corona-like extra inner whorl) that are isomerous and similar in the two whorls. They are generally petaloid tepals that may be green, white, cream, yellow, red, pink, purple, brown, or various combinations, with blue or violet sometimes seen in Allioideae. Tepal apex trichomes (TAT) are present in some genera.

Androecium of the Amaryllidaceae Family

There are nearly always 6 (3-18) androecial members in 2 whorls (3+3), except for Gethyllis, which has 9-18 stamens. They are free of the perianth or adnate to the base of the tube or tepals (always adnate in Allioideae); they are mostly free of one another, but they may be coherent, 1-adelphous, or basally connate (Allium). The androecium is almost always exclusively fertile stamens; they are isomerous with the perianth (mostly Allioideae) or otherwise nearly always diplostemonous, alterniperianth, or occasionally opposiperianth in Allioideae.

Stamens have flat filaments in Allioideae and are often appendiculate in Amarylidoideae with connate filaments sometimes expanded to form a staminal corona. Anthers are nearly always dorsifixed, usually versatile, dehiscing via longitudinal slits or pores, and usually introrse or sometimes latrorse (Crinum).

Gynoecium of the Amaryllidaceae Family

The gynoecium is always 3-carpelled and isomerous with the perianth; the pistil is usually 3-celled (rarely 1). The gynoecium is mostly syncarpous and mostly inferior in Amarylidoideae, but always superior in Allioideae.

The ovary is almost always 3-locular with one terminal style (Amaryllidoideae, most Allioideae) or gynobasic (sometimes in Allioideae). There may be 1 or 3 stigmas that are capitate to 3-lobed with a papillate surface that is mostly dry but sometimes wet.

Placentation is basal when unilocular (Calostemma), and when trilocular it is usually axile (always in Allioideae) or rarely basal. Ovules range from 1 to 50 per locule; they are non-arillate and can be anatropous or usually campylotropous in Allioideae. Integuments are either unitegmic or bitegmic (usually) and are rarely absent; they can also be crassinucellate or pseudocrassinucellate.  

Fruit of the Amaryllidaceae Family

The fruits are mostly non-fleshy dehiscent capsules or rarely a fleshy indehiscent berry. Seeds are endospermic and always contain oil instead of starch and may be winged (e.g., Agapanthus) or not. Allioideae testae are encrusted with black phytomelan.

Global Distribution of Amaryllidaceae

The Amaryllidaceae is a widespread, nearly cosmopolitan family, but mostly paleotropical and neotropical, with some subtropical and temperate taxa (especially in the Allioideae).

In the Americas this family is found in Canada (including the Arctic), the USA, and south through Mexico, the Antilles, Central America, and South America to the southernmost region.

Distribution of Amaryllidaceae in the Americas

Canadian Amaryllidaceae Genera

Allioideae in Canada

Allium 17 spp. native to all of Canada, including the Arctic, except PE.

Amaryllidoideae in Canada

Galanthus 2 spp. intro to ON, NB, and NL Island; Leucojum 1 sp. intro to ON, NS; Narcissus 3 spp. intro to BC, ON, ephemeral NB, QC, and NL Island.

USA Amaryllidaceae Genera

Agapanthoideae in the USA

Agapanthus 1 sp. intro to CA.

Allioideae in the USA

Allium 103 spp. native and introduced in all of the USA, inc. AK; Ipheion 1 sp. introduced to OR, CA, TX, AL, and VA; Nothoscordum 4 spp. native to most of the S half of the USA, from AZ E to NJ and all states S exc. NV, UT, CO, PA, NJ, WV, MD, and DE, and introduced in CA; Tristagma 1 sp. introduced to OR, CA, TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, and VA.

Amaryllidoideae in the USA

Amaryllis 1 sp. intro to CA, LA; Cooperia 5 spp. native NM, TX, OK, KS, AR, LA, MS, AL, FL, may now be syn. of Zephyranthes; Crinum 4 spp. native and intro TX, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC; Galanthus 2 spp. intro WA, UT, NC, VA, MD, DE, PA, NJ, OH, NY, RI, MA; Hippeastrum 4 spp. intro FL, TX, AL, and HI; Hymenocallis 17 spp. native and intro. in TX, OK, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, TN, KY, IL, and IN, there are at least 3 endemics; Leucojum 2 spp. intro in OR, CA, TX, LA, AR, MO, MS, AL, FL, SC, NC, TN, KY, IL, IN, OH, PA, VA, MD, DE, NY, CT, MA, and ME; Lycoris 2 spp. intro in IL, OH, LA, MS, AL, TN, FL, SC, and NC; Narcissus 11 spp. intro in most of the E USA, the Pacific states, TX, and UT; Pancratium 1 sp. intro to CA; Sternbergia 1 sp. intro to VA; Zephyranthes 12 spp. native (inc. 5 endemics) and introduced to AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, VA, and MD and introduced in HI.

Mexico Amaryllidaceae Genera

Agapanthoideae in Mexico

Agapanthus 1 sp. intro Nay E to Tam S to Chp, plus NL and Yuc.

Allioideae in Mexico

Allium 31 spp. native and introduced throughout Mexico; Ipheion 1 sp. introduced to Nay; Nothoscordum 2 spp. native to most of Mexico, except Yuc and QR; Tulbaghia 1 sp. is introduced to Chp, Cd Mex, Gto, Mch, and NL. 

Amaryllidoideae in Mexico

Amaryllis 1 sp. intro to Chp, Gto, Ver, Yuc; Clivia 1 sp. intro to SW+C+SE Mexico; Crinum 6 spp. native to SW+SE Mexico and intro elsewhere; Hippeastrum 1-2 spp. intro to SW+SE+C Mexico; Hymenocallis 34 spp. native, inc. 30 endemics, native throughout all of Mexico; Ismene 1 sp. intro Chp, Tam; Narcissus 1 sp. intro to C Mexico; Scadoxus 1 sp. intro Gto, Oax, Ver; Urceolina 1 sp. intro Dgo S to Chp; Zephyranthes ~30 spp. native, inc. 6 endemic, widespread throughout all of Mexico.

Neotropical Amaryllidaceae Genera

Allioideae in the Neotropics

Allium ~3 spp., including 1 native to Guatemala and Honduras and 1-2 spp. introduced to the Greater Antilles, Colombia, Ecuador, C Chile, and N Argentina; Atacamallium monospecific endemic to the Atacama Desert of N Chile; Gilliesia 13 spp. in C Chile and NW+S Argentina, most are endemic to Chile; Ipheion 3 spp. originally endemic to NE Argentina, Uruguay, and S Brazil; Latace 2 spp. narrow endemic genera of N+C Chile and NW Argentina; Leucocoryne 48 spp. narrow endemic genera of N+C Chile; Miersia 13 spp. neoendemic genera of Bolivia and Chile; Nothoscordium ~30 spp. native to Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, and C+E Brazil and introduced to Jamaica; Schickendantziella is a monospecific endemic of Tucumán, Argentina + Bolivia; Trichlora 4 spp. narrow endemic genera of Peru; Tristagma 17 spp. native to in Peru, C+S Chile, and NW+S Argentina.

Amaryllidoideae in the Neotropics

Amaryllis 1 sp. intro Cuba, Hispaniola, and Juan Fernandez Island; Cearanthes monospecific endemic of NE Brazil; Chlidanthus 5 spp. endemic mostly to the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and NW Argentina; Clinanthus 24 spp. W SAM endemic genera, most endemic to Peru, also in Ecuador, Bolivia, N Chile, and NW Argentina; Crinum ~5 spp. native to Honduras, S to Peru, N+E Brazil, Paraguay, and Cuba and introduced to the Caribbean islands; Eremolirion is a monospecific endemic of N+C Chile (may be described as Paposoa); Eucrosia 6 spp. neoendemic genera of Ecuador and Peru; Eustephia 6 spp. neoendemic genera of Peru and Bolivia; Griffinia 23 spp. narrow endemic genera of E+C Brazil; Hieronymiella 11 spp. neoendemic genus native to Bolivia, Peru, and NW Argentina; Hippeastrum 116 spp. former neoendemic genera native to Costa Rica and tropical SAM S to Peru, Bolivia, and N Argentina, introduced in the Antilles, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Belize; Hymenocallis ~34 spp. native to CAM (exc. El Salvador), the Caribbean and Antilles Islands, and tropical SAM S to Peru and Brazil; Ismene 11 spp. narrow neoendemic genus of Peru and Ecuador; Leptochiton 2 spp. neoendemic genus of Ecuador and Peru; Mathieua is a monospecific extinct species that was formerly endemic to Peru; Pamianthe 3 spp. neoendemic genus of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia; Paposoa is a monospecific endemic of N+C Chile; Paramongaia 5 spp. narrow endemic genus of Peru and Bolivia; Phaedranassa 11 spp. neoendemic genus of Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ecuador; Phycella 13 spp. narrow endemic genus of C+N Chile; Plagiolirion monospecific rare endemic of Colombia thought extinct until rediscovered in the Río Cauca Valley in 1989; Pyrolirion 8 spp. neoendemic genus of N Chile, Peru, and Bolivia; Rauhia 5 spp. narrow Peru endemic genus; Rhodolirium 2 spp. SAM endemic genus native to C Chile and NW+S Argentina; Stenomesson 19 spp. W SAM endemic genus of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and N Chile; Traubia monospecific endemic of N+C Chile; Urceolina 29 spp. neoendemic genus of Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, N Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru; Worsleya monospecific endemic of E Brazil; Zephyranthes ~180 spp. native to CAM, the Antilles, and SAM S to Tierra del Fuego (exc. Guyana and French Guinea).

Patagonia Amaryllidaceae Genera

Allioideae in Patagonia

Allium 1 sp. intro to S Argentina and Falkland Is.; Gilliesia 2-3 spp. in S Argentina, at least one in this region; Latace 1 sp. in Los Lagos, Chile; Leucocoryne 1 sp. in Bio Bio and Lagos, Chile; Nothoscordum 1-2 spp. native in the N Patagonia region in Bio Bio S to Los Lagos, Chile, and Rio Negro, Argentina; Tristagma 4 spp. native throughout the entire region from the N limit to the S end of Magallanes/Tierra del Fuego.

Amaryllidoideae in Patagonia

Rhodolirium 2 spp. Bio Bio to Araucania, Chile, and Rio Negro to Chubut, Argentina; Zephyranthes 1 sp. in Argentina in Neuquen and Rio Negro S to Chubut, also in S Chile.

Additional Information and References

• Visit Lyrae’s Dictionary of Botanical Terms to learn the terminology of botanists. Note that if you hover over most of the words in the articles, you can also get definitions from them there.
• Willis, Lyrae (Unpublished). Plant Families of North America. This is where all of the family descriptions come from. Below should be most of my references for this, along with my own personal observations throughout North America.
• Canadensys: Acadia University, Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga, University of British Columbia. http://data.canadensys.net/explorer (accessed 2020 – current)
• FNA (1993+). Flora of North America. https://floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page. Accessed 2022-current.
• GBIF.org (2020+), GBIF Home Page. Available from: https://www.gbif.org
• iNaturalist.org (2020+). https://www.inaturalist.org/. Accessed 2020-current.
• Naturalista: CONABIO http://www.naturalista.mx (Accessed 2020–current).
• Neotropikey: Milliken, W., Klitgård, B., & Baracat, A. eds. (2009+). Neotropikey: Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. www.kew.org/neotropikey.com (accessed 2020 – current).
• Patagonia Wildflowers: Wildflower Identification Site. https://patagoniawildflowers.org/ Accessed throughout the fall of 2020.
• POWO (2019+). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet: http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/
• Stevens, P. F. (2001+). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 14, July 2017 [more or less continuously updated since]. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/
• USDA, NRCS. 2020. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 2 June 2020). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC, USA; accessed 2020-present.
• Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. (1992+). The Families of Flowering Plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 2nd May 2020. delta-intkey.com. Accessed spring through fall of 2020.
• WFO (2022): World Flora Online. Published on the Internet: http://www.worldfloraonline.org. Accessed Spring 2022 – current

Copyright Information

The information and the photos on this site are free to use for educational purposes, with proper attribution. For other uses, please contact me first.

You can cite this site as Willis, Lyrae (2020+). Lyrae’s Nature Blog – Plant Families of North America. https://lyraenatureblog.com/