Uvulariaceae is a family of

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. While seldom recognised, the family is accepted by the

Dahlgren system One of the modern systems of plant taxonomy, the Dahlgren system was published by monocot specialist Rolf Dahlgren in 1975 and revised in 1977, and 1980. However, he is best known for his two treatises on monocotyledons in 1982 and revised in 19 ...

, which places it in order

Liliales Liliales is an order of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group and Angiosperm Phylogeny Web system, within the lilioid monocots. This order of necessity includes the family Liliaceae. The APG III system (2009) place ...

, superorder

Lilianae Lilianae (also known as Liliiflorae) is a botanical name for a superorder (that is, a rank higher than that of order) of flowering plants. Such a superorder of necessity includes the type family Liliaceae (and usually the type order Liliales). ...

, and the subclass

Liliidae Liliidae is a botanical name at the rank of subclass. Circumscription of the subclass will vary with the taxonomic system being used (there are many such systems); the only requirement being that it includes the family Liliaceae. Liliidae in Tak ...

monocotyledons 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 t ...

of class

Magnoliopsida Magnoliopsida is a valid botanical name for a class of flowering plants. By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its circumscription can otherwise vary, being more inclusive or less inclusive depending upon the classific ...

angiosperms 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 ...

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 Gro ...

places the genus ''

Uvularia ''Uvularia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Colchicaceae, which is closely related to the lily family (Liliaceae). They are commonly called bellworts, bellflowers or merrybells. The genus name is derived from the Latin ''ūvula'' me ...

'' in family

Colchicaceae Colchicaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes 15 genera with a total of about 285 known species according to Christenhusz and Byng in 2016. Description The family is characterized by the presence of colchicine. Taxonomy The APG III ...

, which is assigned to order

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 t ...

. Molecular studies have shown that Uvulariaceae is

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

, meaning that the

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 ...

placed in the family have closer relationships with other plants than with each other. The family have been split and the genera ''

Disporum ''Disporum'' (commonly known as fairy bells) is a genus of about 20 species of perennial flowering plants, found in Asia from northern India to Japan, south to Indonesia and north into the Russian Far East. Taxonomy '' Disporum pullum'', from C ...

'', ''

Kuntheria ''Kuntheria'' is a plant genus related to ''Schelhammera''. It contains one species, ''Kuntheria pedunculata'' (F.Muell.) Conran & Clifford, endemic to Queensland, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sov ...

'', ''

Schelhammera ''Schelhammera'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Colchicaceae, comprising two species. *'' Schelhammera undulata'' R.Br., native to New South Wales and Victoria *'' Schelhammera multiflora'' R.Br., native to Queensland, Ne ...

'', ''

Tripladenia ''Tripladenia'' is a monotypic genus of plants in the family Colchicaceae. The sole species is ''Tripladenia cunninghamii'' which is native to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Austra ...

'' and ''

'' are now placed in the autumn crocus family (

), while ''

Clintonia ''Clintonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the lily family Liliaceae. Plants of the genus are distributed across the temperate regions of North America and eastern Asia, in the mesic understory of deciduous or coniferous forests. The genus ...

'', ''

Medeola ''Medeola virginiana'', known as Indian cucumber, cucumber root, or Indian cucumber-root, is an eastern North American plant species in the lily family, Liliaceae. It is the only currently recognized plant species in the genus ''Medeola''. It gro ...

'', ''

Prosartes ''Prosartes'', the fairybells, is a North American genus of flowering plants in the lily family. For several decades plants of this genus were considered part of the otherwise Asian genus ''Disporum''. Studies of morphology and cytology, as we ...

'', ''

Scoliopus ''Scoliopus'', or fetid adderstongue, is a genus of plant within the family Liliaceae consisting of two species, '' Scoliopus bigelovii'' and '' S. hallii.'' Both are found in deep shaded forests, primarily in the coastal counties of the western ...

'' and '' Streptopus'' are placed in the lily 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 fair ...

). The genus '' Kreysigia'' has a somewhat troublesome taxonomic history and is either synonymous to ''

'' or ''

'' (which, together with ''

'' should perhaps all be treated as ''Schelhammera'').

External links

Uvulariaceae
in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards).
The families of flowering plants
descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.'' Version: 9 March 2006. http://delta-intkey.com. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2460903 Historically recognized angiosperm families