| Alstroemeriaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Alstroemeria aurea in cultivation | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Alstroemeriaceae Dumort.[1] |
| Type genus | |
| Alstroemeria L. | |
| Genera[2] | |
| |
Alstroemeriaceae is afamily offlowering plants, with 254 knownspecies in fourgenera,[3] almost entirely native to theAmericas, fromCentral America to southernSouth America. One species ofLuzuriaga occurs in New Zealand, and the genusDrymophila is endemic to south-eastern Australia.
The genusAlstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian lilies, is popular florist's and garden flower. The genusBomarea is avine that produces clusters of variously-colored, bell-shaped flowers.
TheAPG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from theAPG system, of 1998), treats the family in the orderLiliales, in the clademonocots. TheAPG III system, of 2009, merged the obscure family Luzuriagaceae into the Alstroemeriaceae, since the former group included only two genera, was the sister group of the Alstroemeriaceae, and possessed the same distinctive twistedpetioles.
| Tribe | Image | Genus | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alstroemerieae |  | AlstroemeriaL. 1762 | 123 species |
_(9725806861).jpg) | BomareaMirb., 1804 | 110 - 122 species | |
| Luzuriageae |  | DrymophilaR.Br. (1810) |
|
.jpg) | LuzuriagaRuiz & Pav. 1802 |
|
Alstroemeriaceae is distributed in tropical and temperate America, fromMexico and theAntilles toTierra del Fuego. Luzuriageae is distributed fromPeru to theFalkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego,New Zealand andAustralia (NSW to Tasmania).
Bomarea edulis is distributed from Mexico toArgentina. Its tubers have been used from pre-Columbian times as a food source. A single plant can have up to 20 tubers each 5 cm in diameter.
Some of the Alstroemeriaceae species used for ornamental purposes are:
Other species, such asLuzuriaga radicans, also endemic to Chile, have potential as ornamental plants.
Media related toAlstroemeriaceae at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toAlstroemeriaceae at Wikispecies