AMARYLLIDACEAE

family of perennial herbs in the flowering plant order Liliales, containing about 65 genera and at least 835 species, distributed primarily in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Members of the family have bulbs or underground stems; several strap- or lance-shaped leaves grouped at the base of the stem or arranged alternately along the stem; flowers usually with three petals and three sepals; and dry, capsule-shaped, and fleshy or berrylike fruits. Many species are cultivated as garden ornamentals, especially belladonna lily (Amaryllis belladonna), tuberose (Polianthes), snowdrop (Galanthus), snowflake (Leucojum), and daffodil (Narcissus). Many tropical lilylike plants also belong to the family, such as those of the genera Haemanthus (Cape tulip, or blood lily), Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily), and Hippeastrum. An ornamental Eurasian plant known as winter daffodil (Sternbergia lutea) is often cultivated in borders or rock gardens. Clivia miniata, a South African perennial, is cultivated as a houseplant for its scarlet flowers lined with yellow.