Flora of North America species comparison

simple or branched.

aerial (or subterranean in Romulea), simple or branched, terete or variously compressed, angled or winged.

basal and cauline, distichous;

proximal 2–3 sometimes membranous, not reaching much above ground;

others with open or closed sheaths, usually unifacial [bifacial or terete], oriented edgewise to the stem;

blade parallel-veined, plane or pleated, channeled.

several;

blade plane, lanceolate to linear, usually coarse, fibrotic.

umbellate, monochasial cymes (rhipidia), spikes, or solitary flowers;

rhipidia enclosed in 2, opposed, usually large, leafy to dry bracts (spathes);

flowers except for the first subtended by 1 floral bract;

spike flowers each subtended by 2, opposed bracts.

spicate, erect, many-flowered;

bracts green, often flushed with red, unequal, usually outer exceeding inner, apex acute, inner forked apically, firm to leathery.

usually pedicellate [± sessile];

perianth actinomorphic or zygomorphic, petaloid, with 2 equal or unequal whorls of 3 tepals each [1 whorl of 6];

tepals usually large, showy, distinct or connate in tube;

stamens 3 [2], inserted at base of outer tepals or in tube, symmetrically arranged or unilateral, arcuate [declinate];

filaments distinct or partly to completely connate, sometimes weak, unable to support anthers;

anthers with 2 pollen sacs, extrorse, occasionally latrorse, usually dehiscing longitudinally [rarely apically];

ovary inferior [superior in Tasmanian Isophysis], 3-locular [1-locular];

placentation axile [parietal];

ovules 2–few, anatropous;

style single, filiform at least proximally, usually 3-branched or 3-lobed, branches either filiform, distally expanded, sometimes each divided in distal 1/2, stigmatic toward apices, or branches thickened, or flattened, petaloid, stigmas then abaxial below apices.

short-lived, odorless [rarely fragrant], zygomorphic [actinomorphic], distichous;

tepals horizontal or suberect, connate into tube, orange, red, or purple [pink, rarely white], ± equal [equal];

perianth tube funnel-shaped or elongate, expanded distally into wide, horizontal upper part;

stamens unilateral [symmetrical], arcuate [declinate], extended horizontally below dorsal tepal;

anthers parallel [diverging];

style arching below or above filaments [central], dividing opposite to [beyond] anthers into 3 filiform branches each divided for ca. 1/2 their length, apically stigmatic.

capsular, loculicidal, rarely indehiscent, firm to cartilaginous, occasionally woody.

[globose to] oblong, wood-textured, rounded [acute or attenuate].

globose to angular (prismatic) or discoid, sometimes broadly winged;

seed coat usually dry (rarely fleshy);

endosperm hard, with reserves of hemicellulose, oil, and protein;

embryo small.

several to many, angular, 1- or 2-winged [prismatic];

seed coat light brown.

= 9.