Many people eat onions, garlic, asparagus, chives and yams. The aloe vera plant has been by mankind for centuries. Tulips and narcissus bloom in the spring, and yuccas highlight many open spaces in Southern California.
Many yards in Redlands have foxtail ferns, Asparagus densiflorus “Meyerii.”
Day lilies grow abundantly in Redlands, as do stargazer lilies and Easter lilies.
Green ruscus is the floral designer’s dream, and spider plants seem to be everyone’s favorite.
So what do all these plants have in common? They are a few members of what used to be the Liliaceae plant family — a family made up of more than 3,500 species including perennial herbs, evergreen succulents, vines and more.
The Liliaceae plant family also included many other favorites such as alstroemeria, amaryllis and hostas.
The Liliaceae family was first organized in 1789 and it used to be one of the largest plant families. Proposals were made from time to time to subdivide the Liliaceae family, but none of those proposals was widely accepted.
However, in the 1980s, the Liliaceae family came under more intense scrutiny. A joint committee of taxonomists developed proposals for splitting it up and creating new, narrower families.
Although there has not been complete agreement on this, some of the some of the new families subfamilies are Agavaceae, Alliaceae, Aloeaceae, Asparagaceae, Dracenaceae, Hemerocallidaceae, Hostaceae, Hyacinthaceae and Ruscaceae.
Want to know more about the Liliaceae family? The Redlands-based Garden and Floral Arrangers Guild is working with California Garden Clubs on a special program, open to all of Southern California, featuring the Liliaceae family, to be held in Ontario in June 2017.
For information, call 951-285-8775.
Source: Joyce Dean, a member of the Garden and Floral Arrangers Guild
