Alstroemeriaceae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s, with 254 known

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in four

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

(Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ), almost entirely native to the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, from

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

to southern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. One species of '' Luzuriaga'' occurs in New Zealand, and the genus '' Drymophila'' is endemic to south-eastern Australia. The genus ''Alstroemeria'', commonly called the Peruvian lilies, are popular florist's and garden flowers. The genus '' Bomarea'' is a

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

that produces clusters of variously-colored, bell-shaped flowers.

Classification

The

APG II system The APG II system (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II system) of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Gr ...

, of 2003 (unchanged from the

APG system The APG system (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system) of plant classification is the first version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy. Published in 1998 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, it was replaced by the improved A ...

, of 1998), treats the family in the order Liliales, in the clade

monocots Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae '' sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

. The APG 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 twisted petioles.

Distribution

Alstroemeriaceae is distributed in tropical and temperate America, from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and the

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

. Luzuriageae is distributed from

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

to the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

and Tierra del Fuego,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

(NSW to Tasmania).

Uses

As food

Bomarea edulis ''Bomarea edulis'', common name salsilla, is a species of flowering plant in the alstroemeria family Alstroemeriaceae, that is native to the tropics of Mexico and the United States. A deciduous climber growing to tall and wide, it has lanceolate ...

'' is distributed from Mexico to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. 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.

As ornamental plants

Some of the Alstroemeriaceae species used for ornamental purposes are: *''

Alstroemeria aurea ''Alstroemeria aurea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Alstroemeriaceae, native to Chile and Argentina, but naturalised in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It is also widely cultivated as an ornamental. Common names i ...

'': endemic to Southern Chile. Flowers in the summer. Flowers are 3–4 cm in diameter, they're yellow and orange, tinged with green. *'' Alstroemeria haemantha'': endemic to Chile, especially near Valparaíso. It grown near rocks and flowers at the beginning of summer. It has red flowers that can grow up to 5 cm in diameter. Florece a principios de verano. *''

Alstroemeria ligtu ''Alstroemeria ligtu'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Alstroemeriaceae Alstroemeriaceae is a family of flowering plants, with 254 known species in four genera (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ), almost entirely native to the Americas ...

'': endemic to Chile, it grows in stoney, sand, dry soil. It flowers at the end of spring and the beginning of summer and has a height of 60 cm–1 m. Its flowers present several colours, usually lilac and pink, red or white. *''

Alstroemeria psittacina ''Alstroemeria psittacina'', with the common names Peruvian lily, parrot flower, parrot lily, lily of the Incas, princess lily and New Zealand Christmas bell. It is found in cerrado and pantanal vegetation in Brazil and Argentina. Description ' ...

'': distributed in the Brazilian swamp, Peru and the Misiones Province in Argentina. Its flowers have a length of 4–5 cm, and grow in bunches of 5 to 6 flowers. Its petals are red and green. *'' Bomarea ovallei'' (syn.: ''Leontochir ovallei''): endemic to Chile, grows in stoney soil in full sunlight in the 3rd Region of Chile. It has red flowers, which can also be yellow, although rarely. They can have a diameter of up to 10 cm. It is an endangered species due to its modest distribution and its use as food by wild animals. Other species, such as ''Luzuriaga radicans'', also endemic to Chile, have potential as ornamental plants.

Bibliography

Anton Hofreiter Anton "Toni" Hofreiter (born 2 February 1970) is a German politician who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag since the 2005 elections. Political career As a member of Alliance 90/The Greens, Hofreiter has been a member of the Bundes ...

& R. E. Rodríguez: ''The Alstroemeriaceae in Peru and neighbouring areas'', in ''Revistá Biología Peruana'', 13 (1), 2006, p. 1-62.

References

* * *

External links

Alstroemeriaceae
in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onward
''The families of flowering plants''

NCBI Taxonomy Browser

links at CSDL, Texas

i

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q660752 Liliales families