Anthericaceae - Spider-lily family

Perennial herbs with rhizomes or corms, these whitish inside. Leaves in a basal rosette, linear to lanceolate; outer cataphylls often present. Peduncle usually naked, sometimes with bract-like leaves. Inflorescence paniculate, racemose or spicate. Flowers bisexual, hypogynous, actinomorphic to slightly zygomorphic; perianth segments in 2 whorls of 3 each, white or yellowish-green, often with a greenish, reddish or brownish keel. Stamens 3+3. Ovary superior, 3-locular. Fruit a loculicidal capsule. Seeds black, ± glossy, without an aril.

Comment: Genera included under Anthericaceae are nowadays often placed within subfamily Agavoideae under Asparagaceae. However, we have followed the more traditional treatment for the time being.

Worldwide: 29 genera and 500 species, ± cosmopolitan, but especially the tropics and Australia.

Malawi: 1 genus and 37 taxa.