THE LILY FAMILY (Liliaceae)

The lily family was formerly a "catch-all" group of petaloid monocots that did not fit into other families. In recent years however, as a result of molecular phylogenetic research, there has been a massive re-organization of the group and a great number of genera are now included in other families and in some cases other orders.

Plants in the Lily family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins and flower parts arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes (underground stems functioning as food storage organs). Shade-dwelling genera may have broad, net-veined leaves.

(Monocots are one of two major groups of flowering plants, characterized as having only one seed leaf (cotyledon) in the embryonic form. (monocotyledon=one cotyledon). This group embraces the narrow-leaved, parallel-veined plants with floral symmetry in 3’s or multiples. It also includes grasses and reeds. Its embryonic development differs from the other major group – the dicots (dicotyledon=two cotyledons) that include the broad-leaved, network veined plants with floral symmetry in 4’s or 5’s. Dicots have 2 seed-leaves in the embryonic form.)

(source: Wikipedia)

Click on a thumbnail photo to go to full photo and description.

Lobau Location

QUICK KEY

Leaf Types (Simplified)

Icon

Shape

Veins

Simple

Parallel

Simple

Pinnate

Lobed

Pinnate

Compound

Pinnate

Trifoliate

3-Pinnate

Simple

Palmate

Lobed

Palmate

Compound

Palmate

Other

Various

Flower Types (Simplified)

Icon

Symmetry

Petals

Radial

3 or multiple 3s

Radial

5, Separate

Radial

5, Tubular

Radial

5,Tubular base

Radial

5, Bell shape

Bilateral

5, Separate

Bilateral

5, Lipped

Bilateral

Butterfly form

Bilateral

Tubular

Spurred

Stellate

Composite

Structured Clusters

5, small

Anomalous

Inconspicuous

Inflorescence Types (Simplified)

Icon

Type

Capitulum

Umbel

Spike-like

Branched

Whorled

Clustered

Single

LEAF TYPE

PETAL TYPE

INFLORES- CENCE TYPE

HEIGHT OF PLANT

FLOWERING MONTH

HABITAT

PHOTO LOCATION

- LEAF TYPE
- Shape:
- --simple (undivided/entire).
- Veins:
- --parallel (no side branching).
- This plant:
- One main long narrow leaf (rarely 2-3) arising from base, 2-3 smaller leaves (bracts) at base of flower cluster.
- FLOWER TYPE
- Symmetry:
- --radial (star-shaped as seen from above).
- Petals:
- --3 (or multiples, for example 6).
- This plant:
- Usually 6 (rarely more or less) greenish-yellow tepals (petal-like structures) with green stripe underneath.
- INFLORESCENCE TYPE
- Clustered
- --flowers bunched together at the end of each stem in a variety of branching arrangements.
- This plant:
- Loosely branched umbel-type cluster of 1-7 flowers carried at top of slender flower stem, typically 2 small leaves beneath cluster.
10 to 30 cm
Mar Apr May
Woodland (deciduous)

Scrub (damp)
- For more information, go to the “Habitats & such” tab in the menu bar.

Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem

Gagea lutea

Other common name(s):

German name(s): Wald-Gelbstern, Wald-Goldstern

ITIS Serial #:

Date:

17 March, 2012

This is one of the first plants to flower in the spring, developing rapidly from bulbs that can spread vegetatively through small lateral bulbils. Thus the species can form wide, dense stands. It also produces a moderate number of seeds which have elaiosomes, nutritious attachments to attract ants that carry them away and so aid dispersal.

!?!
- This small yellow star is a wild member of the tulip family.

LEAF TYPE

PETAL TYPE

INFLORES- CENCE TYPE

HEIGHT OF PLANT

FLOWERING MONTH

HABITAT

PHOTO LOCATION

- LEAF TYPE
- Shape:
- --simple (undivided/entire).
- Veins:
- --parallel (no side branching).
- This plant:
- Narrow, grass-like leaves, emerging from base, white middle stripe, erect at first, bending and wilting during flowering, become yellow and die back soon after flowering.
- FLOWER TYPE
- Symmetry:
- --radial (star-shaped as seen from above).
- Petals:
- --3 (or multiples, for example 6).
- This plant:
- Star-like, 6 tepals (petal-like), green stripe on underside, 6 stamens with stocky filaments, wide at base.
- INFLORESCENCE TYPE
- Clustered
- --flowers bunched together at the end of each stem in a variety of branching arrangements.
- This plant:
- 8-20 flowers carried in an erect, umbel-like arrangement at top of single flower stem
10 to 30 cm
Apr May
Dry grasslands

Wayside
- For more information, go to the “Habitats & such” tab in the menu bar.

Star-of-Bethlehem

Ornithogalum umbellatum

Other common name(s): Grass Lily, Nap-at-Noon, Eleven-o'clock Lady

German name(s): Dolden-Milchstern, Stern von Bethlehem

ITIS Serial #: 42754

Date:

27 April, 2011

This is a rare flower, native to Middle and Southern Europe, but when it finds a suitable environment, it can appear in large numbers. It is a perennial plant growing from bulbs that produce numerous lateral bulbs, so enabling efficient vegetative reproduction.

The plant is poisonous, particularly the bulbs.

The basal leaves have grooves that help direct rain and dew towards the roots – an advantage in conditions of water scarcity.

Fruits are capsules contaning numerous seeds that carry an oily attachement to attract ants that carry the seeds away and so aid dispersal.

(There is disagreement, in the light of recent molecular research, whether this plant should be classed in the Lily family (Liliaceae) as previously, or placed in the Hyacinth family (Aspargaceae) with the Scillas. I have chosen to follow the ITIS recomendation and leave it with the lilies but these decisions are in a state of constant revision.)

!?!
- The common names, Eleven o’clock Lady, Nap –at-Noon and Morning Star (Swedish) refer to the habit of the flower of opening in the morning and closing during the afternoons or when the sun is directly overhead – but is this true?
!W!
- Shows upright, branching arrangement of flower clusters.