General description:- Hairless (glabrous), bulbous, with a leafless stem (scapose) (rarely more or less stemless (acaulescent)), perennial herbs.
Leaves:- All basal, linear to strap-shaped (lorate) or inversely lance-shaped (oblanceolate), often in two opposite rows, one on each side of the stem (distichous).
Flowers:- Having both male and female organs in the same flower (hermaphrodite), regular or slightly irregular (zygomorphic). Perianth of 6 petaloid segments, arising from the apex of the ovary, or from a hypanthial tube. Corona sometimes present. Stamens 6. Ovary inferior, 3-celled (3-locular); stigma pin-headed (capitate) or shortly 3-lobed.
Fruit:- Capsule splitting into the cells, the splits not at the lines of junction between the locules (i.e. septa) but along the midrib or dorsal suture (loculicidal) or splitting rregularly open to release the seeds (indehiscent) sometimes with fleshy fruit wall (pericarp) and transitional to a berry.
Includes the following Genera:-
NARCISSUS, PANCRATIUM, STERNBERGIA
Genus:- NARCISSUS Including:
Sects SEROTINI, TAZEITAE.
Flowers:- Solitary or in umbels of 2-15, yellow, white or bicoloured (rarely green), sometimes fragrant. Spathe 1-valved, usually scarious; bracteoles small or absent. Hypanthial tube present. Corona free from the stamens, usually conspicuous, rarely reduced to a small rim or scales.
Fruit:- Capsule ellipsoid to almost globular, but flattened at the ends of the axis. (subglobose); pericarp dry.
1) Stamens free from corona, and usually included in it or in hypanthial tube.
Sect. SEROTINI
Leaves:- Filiform, not present at anthesis.
Flowers:- Autumn flowering, usually solitary, bicoloured. Hypanthial tube slender, cylindrical. Corona short. Filaments straight, shorter than anthers or only slightly longer; anthers dorsifixed, included.
Sect. TAZEITAE
Leaves:- Flat or canaliculate.
Flowers:- In umbels, concolorous or bicoloured. Hypanthial tube cylindrical. Corona fairly short. Filaments straight, much shorter than anthers; anthers dorsifixed, included, or the upper whorl slightly exserted.Flowering in spring, rarely in autumn.
Genus:- PANCRATIUM
Flowers:- White, fragrant, erect to inclined. Umbel of 3-15 flowers; spathe 2-valved; some or all of the flowers subtended by linear bracteoles. Hypanthial tube present. Corona conspicuous, adnate to lower part of filaments.
Fruit:- Capsule subglobose, obscurely trigonous; pericarp dry.
Key features:-
1) Corona present, in the form of a tube or collar.
2) Lower part of stamens adnate to corona, the upper part widely exserted from it
Genus:- STERNBERGIA
Flowers:- Solitary, or in umbels of 2(-3); campanulate to stellate, yellow, erect. spathe 1-valved, tubular below. Hypanthial tube present; corona absent. Filaments much longer than anthers.
Fruit:- Almost globular, but flattened at the ends of the axis (subglobose), intermediate between a capsule and berry; seeds numerous.
Key features:-
1) Hypanthial tube at least 5 mm.
2) Leaves at least 5 mm wide.
3) Flowers yellow.
Leaves:- All basal, linear to strap-shaped (lorate) or inversely lance-shaped (oblanceolate), often in two opposite rows, one on each side of the stem (distichous).
Flowers:- Having both male and female organs in the same flower (hermaphrodite), regular or slightly irregular (zygomorphic). Perianth of 6 petaloid segments, arising from the apex of the ovary, or from a hypanthial tube. Corona sometimes present. Stamens 6. Ovary inferior, 3-celled (3-locular); stigma pin-headed (capitate) or shortly 3-lobed.
Fruit:- Capsule splitting into the cells, the splits not at the lines of junction between the locules (i.e. septa) but along the midrib or dorsal suture (loculicidal) or splitting rregularly open to release the seeds (indehiscent) sometimes with fleshy fruit wall (pericarp) and transitional to a berry.
Includes the following Genera:-
NARCISSUS, PANCRATIUM, STERNBERGIA
Genus:- NARCISSUS Including:
Sects SEROTINI, TAZEITAE.
Flowers:- Solitary or in umbels of 2-15, yellow, white or bicoloured (rarely green), sometimes fragrant. Spathe 1-valved, usually scarious; bracteoles small or absent. Hypanthial tube present. Corona free from the stamens, usually conspicuous, rarely reduced to a small rim or scales.
Fruit:- Capsule ellipsoid to almost globular, but flattened at the ends of the axis. (subglobose); pericarp dry.
1) Stamens free from corona, and usually included in it or in hypanthial tube.
Sect. SEROTINI
Leaves:- Filiform, not present at anthesis.
Flowers:- Autumn flowering, usually solitary, bicoloured. Hypanthial tube slender, cylindrical. Corona short. Filaments straight, shorter than anthers or only slightly longer; anthers dorsifixed, included.
Sect. TAZEITAE
Leaves:- Flat or canaliculate.
Flowers:- In umbels, concolorous or bicoloured. Hypanthial tube cylindrical. Corona fairly short. Filaments straight, much shorter than anthers; anthers dorsifixed, included, or the upper whorl slightly exserted.Flowering in spring, rarely in autumn.
Genus:- PANCRATIUM
Flowers:- White, fragrant, erect to inclined. Umbel of 3-15 flowers; spathe 2-valved; some or all of the flowers subtended by linear bracteoles. Hypanthial tube present. Corona conspicuous, adnate to lower part of filaments.
Fruit:- Capsule subglobose, obscurely trigonous; pericarp dry.
Key features:-
1) Corona present, in the form of a tube or collar.
2) Lower part of stamens adnate to corona, the upper part widely exserted from it
Genus:- STERNBERGIA
Flowers:- Solitary, or in umbels of 2(-3); campanulate to stellate, yellow, erect. spathe 1-valved, tubular below. Hypanthial tube present; corona absent. Filaments much longer than anthers.
Fruit:- Almost globular, but flattened at the ends of the axis (subglobose), intermediate between a capsule and berry; seeds numerous.
Key features:-
1) Hypanthial tube at least 5 mm.
2) Leaves at least 5 mm wide.
3) Flowers yellow.
