Jessie Keith
Family
Liliaceae
Botanical Name
Clivia
Plant Common Name
Clivia
Special Notice
This entry has yet to be reviewed and approved by L2G editors.
General Description
Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a large family of monocots in the order Liliales. There are many taxonomic arguments regarding the number of genera in this species. Many botanists wish to parse out Liliaceae while others prefer to lump many genera within it. Some consistent genera include Erythronium, Lilium, Fritillaria and Tulipa. All members vary widely in geographic distribution, but most exist in the Northern Hemisphere. Habit, appearance and cultural requirements are also very dissimilar, but Liliaceae members do share a few key characteristics.
Members of Liliaceae have bulbs, rhizomes or roots with or without velamen (the coating found on lily bulbs). The leaves are highly variable but always have parallel venation. Many have highly showy flowers. The flower petals (perianth) are comprised of one set of three petal-like calyces (tepals) and a second set of three showy petals. Usually the flowers appear to have six full petals, but sometimes the calyces are smaller making the flowers of some species look three petaled. All blooms are bisexual, have nectaries (nectar holding pockets) and are often spotted at the base of the petals or tepals. The male stamens are not attached to the flower (they’re free) and the ovary at the base of the pistil has three chambers. The fruit is always a dry capsule and the seeds within may or may not be winged.
Hardiness, culture and use are all species specific.
Growing Conditions
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Tolerances
Soil Compaction
