Alstroemeriaceae

Taxonomy

Family name: Alstroemeriaceae E. Bayer

Synonym(s): Luzuriagaceae Lotsy

Common name(s): alstroemeria or Peruvian lilies family

*Number of genera/species: 4/254

List of genera records in GRIN-Global

Disseminule

fruit or seed

Description

Fruit dehiscent, three-valved, loculicidalloculicidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal)
capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels
(opens explosively in Alstroemeria), rarely berrylike and mealymealy:
loose, dry, and disintegrating in finely granular pieces like meal or flour
(species of Bomarea), 5–15 mm long, ovoidovoid:
3D shape—ovate
to conicalconical:
3D shape—cone-shaped, with the point of attachment at the broad end
, roundround:
2D shape—orbiculate; circular
to angledangled:
2D shape—having sides that meet at acute or obtuse angles  
in transectiontransection:
a cross section; representing a plane made by cutting across an organ at a right angle to its length
, often beakedbeaked:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
, usually many-seeded. Rarely with persistent tepalstepals:
a member of the perianth, when it cannot be differentiated into a calyx and corolla
, stylestyle:
in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary; sometimes persisting in fruit
, and/or stamens. Pericarppericarp:
fruit wall or fruit coat
brown or brightly colored (yellow, red, orange, purple, or blue), paperypapery:
texture—papyraceous, chartaceous; very thin, pliable, and readily torn; like paper
to leatheryleathery:
texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable
except woodywoody:
consisting mainly of indurate lignified tissues, characteristic of or resembling wood
in Bomarea, ribbedribbed:
surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface
. Seeds sometimes remain attached to placentae.

Seed globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
to ovoidovoid:
3D shape—ovate
, 2–7 mm long. Thickthick:
having or being of relatively great depth
, red, fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
sarcotesta present in Bomarea. Seed coat variously colored sometimes brightly so (red, orange, or yellow), hard, granulargranular:
surface relief—having a grainy surface
, papillatepapillate:
surface relief—bearing minute, distinct, broad-based projections, tapering to a rounded apex
, wartywarty:
surface relief—distinct, rounded projections that are large relative to the fruit size; tuberculate, verrucose
or colliculatecolliculate:
surface relief—covered with small, round projections, similar to blistered
. Phytomelanphytomelan:
carbonaceous, opaque material that usually covers the seed coat to give it a black appearance, common in certain monocot families
present in some genera. In Alstroemeria and Bomarea, a dark brown discoiddiscoid:
3D shape—resembling a disc
appendage is attached at the chalazal end of the seed.

Embryo well developed, linearlinear:
(shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide
, straight, or curvedcurved:
(of embryo) linear embryo is curved into an arch or horseshoe with the ends far apart
. Endospermendosperm:
nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds
copious.

Identification features

Fruit
Type	usually loculicidalloculicidal: type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal) capsulecapsule: a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels , rarely berry
Size range	5–15 mm long
Shape(s)	ovoid, conical
Texture	leathery, spongyspongy: soft, light, discontinuous but cohesive, and somewhat resilient , paperypapery: texture—papyraceous, chartaceous; very thin, pliable, and readily torn; like paper , woody
Surface relief	ribbedribbed: surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface
Color(s)	yellow, red, orange, brown, blue, purple
Unique features	Often brightly colored, ribbedribbed: surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface , capsulescapsules: a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels , sometimes with seeds attached to placentaplacenta: surface of the ovary that bears ovules at maturity.
Seed
Size range	2–7 mm long
Shape(s)	globose, ellipsoidellipsoid: 3D shape—elliptic , ovoid
Surface relief	granular, papillatepapillate: surface relief—bearing minute, distinct, broad-based projections, tapering to a rounded apex , wartywarty: surface relief—distinct, rounded projections that are large relative to the fruit size; tuberculate, verrucose , colliculate
Color(s)	brown, yellow, yellowish brown, red, orange, black
Unique features	Fleshy, red sarcotestasarcotesta: pulpy or fleshy outer layer of the seed coat, simulates aril present in Bomarea; phytomelanphytomelan: carbonaceous, opaque material that usually covers the seed coat to give it a black appearance, common in certain monocot families present in some genera.
Other
Embryo	well developed, linearlinear: (shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide , straight or curved
Nutritive tissuenutritive tissue: tissue within the seeds that nourishes the developing embryo; such as endosperm, perisperm, or chalazosperm in angiosperms; megagametophyte in gymnosperms	endosperm endosperm: nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds copious

Distribution

Central and South America, including the West Indies, and Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Distribution map courtesy of Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.

References

Baskin and Baskin 2021Baskin and Baskin 2021:
Baskin C and Baskin J. 2021. Relationship of the lateral embryo (in grasses) to other monocot embryos: A status up-grade. Seed Science Research 31 (3): 199-210. doi:10.1017/S0960258521000209; Dahlgren et al. 1985Dahlgren et al. 1985:
Dahlgren RMT, Clifford HT, and Yeo PF. 1985. The families of the monocotyledons: structure, evolution, and taxonomy. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 520 pp.; Flora of Australia 2021+Flora of Australia 2021+:
Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Accessed January-May 2021. URL: http://www.ausflora.org.au; Kirkbride et al. 2006Kirkbride et al. 2006:
Kirkbride JH, Jr, Gunn CR, and Dallwitz MJ. 2006. Family guide for fruits and seeds, vers. 1.0. Accessed September 2020ndash;January 2022. URL: https://nt.ars-grin.gov/seedsfruits/keys/frsdfam/index.cfm .; Kubitzki et al. 1990+Kubitzki et al. 1990+:
Kubitzki K et al., eds. 1990+. The families and genera of vascular plants. 7+ vols. Berlin etc.; Sanso and Xifreda 2001Sanso and Xifreda 2001:
Sanso AM and Xifreda CC. 2001. Generic delimitation between Alstroemeria and Bomarea (Alstroemeriaceae). Annals of Botany 88 (6): 1057ndash;1069. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/anbo.2001.1548; Stevenson and Loconte 1995Stevenson and Loconte 1995:
Stevenson DW and Loconte H. 1995. A cladistic analysis of monocot families. In: Rudall PJ, Cribb PJ, Cutler DF, and Humphries CJ, eds. Monocotyledons: Systematics and Evolution. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.; Takhtajan 2009Takhtajan 2009:
Takhtajan A. 2009. Flowering plants: Second edition. Springer Nature, Switzerland. 871 pp.; Watson and Dallwitz 1992+Watson and Dallwitz 1992+:
Watson L and Dallwitz MJ. 1992+. The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 6th Accessed September 2020-September 2022. URL: delta-intkey.com

*The number of genera and species is based on Christenhusz and Byng 2016Christenhusz and Byng 2016:
Christenhusz MJM and Byng JW. 2016. The number of known plant species in the world and its annual increase. Phytotaxa 261 (3): 201ndash;217. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1, which may differ from the number of genera in GRIN-Global.