Asphodelaceae - Asphodel family

Perennial herbs, shrubs or sometimes attaining the height of small trees. Roots fibrous, sometimes swollen, occasionally with tubers. Leaves distichous or in rosettes, basal or on a woody stem, sometimes more or less thickly succulent; margin entire or set with hard teeth or spines. Peduncle mostly naked or with a few bracts. Inflorescence a simple or compound raceme or paniculate. Flowers subtended by a single bract. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic or zygomorphic; perianth segments in 2 whorls of 3, tubular or not. Stamens also in 2 whorls of 3. Ovary superior. Fruit a loculicidal capsule, rarely a berry. Seeds without an aril or sometimes with a thin aril or winged.

Comment: Many genera formerly placed in separate families (Aloaceae, Hemerocallidaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae ao) are now considered to be all part of the same family. There still seems to be some dispute about the accepted name of this family. For some time it was considered to be Xanthorrhoeaceae but very recent thinking (APGIV, 2016) now uses Asphodelaceae again as the valid name.

Worldwide: 40 genera and 900 species, throughout most of the tropics and subtropics.

Malawi: 5 genera and 29 taxa.