''Liriope'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of low, grass-like flowering plants from

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Some species are often used in

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

in temperate latitudes. It may be called " lilyturf" in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, although it is neither a true grass (family

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

) nor a lily (genus ''

Lilium ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world ...

''). In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae (), known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, '' Asparagus officinalis''. This family includes both ...

, subfamily

Nolinoideae Nolinoideae is a monocot subfamily of the family Asparagaceae in the APG III system of 2009. It used to be treated as a separate family, Ruscaceae s.l. The family name is derived from the generic name of the type genus, '' Nolina''. The subfam ...

(formerly the family Ruscaceae). Like many

lilioid monocots Lilioid monocots (lilioids, liliid monocots, petaloid monocots, petaloid lilioid monocots) is an informal name used for a grade (biology), grade (grouping of taxa with common characteristics) of five monocot order (biology), orders (Petrosavial ...

, it was once classified with lilies in the family

Liliaceae The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a fai ...

; it has also been placed in the former family Convallariaceae. The genus was named for the nymph Liriope of Greek mythology.

Background and pronunciation

''Liriope'' are usually used in the garden for their evergreen foliage as a

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows low over an area of ground, which protects the topsoil from erosion and drought. In a terrestrial ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as the ...

. Some species, e.g., ''L. spicata'', grow aggressively in the right conditions, spreading by runners; hence their nickname, "creeping lilyturf". In the southeastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

''Liriope'' is sometimes referred to by the common name monkey grass or spider grass. The pronunciation of "Liriope" varies. Commonly recommended pronunciation are (US), and (British), but there are many regional variations. In the southern United States, for example, it may be pronounced , , or .

Cultivation

''Liriope muscari'' is perhaps most widespread in cultivation and is considered appropriate for

USDA Hardiness Zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

s 6-10.''Hortus III'', Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium, 1976 Spikes of tiny violet-blue flowers appear in late summer, and will be more prolific with a dose or two of fertilizer early in the season. A number of variegated varieties are now available to add golden or silver flashes of color to shady situations.

Species

, , Sichuan , - , Liriope minor 2

, , '' Liriope minor'' (Maxim.) Makino, , Japan, Ryukyu Islands, widespread across much of China , - , Liriope muscari 4

, , '' Liriope muscari'' (Decne.) L.H.Bailey, , Japan, Korea, widespread across much of China , - , Liriope spicata f

, , '' Liriope spicata'' Lour. , , Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Korea, widespread across much of China , -

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1065926 Asparagaceae genera Nolinoideae Groundcovers