Allioideae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allioideae |
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| Allium ursinum (Wild Garlic) | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Allioideae Herb. |
| Type genus | |
| Allium |
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| Tribes | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Alliaceae J.G. Agardh (1858) |
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Allioideae is a group of flowering plants that are part of the Amaryllidaceae family. These plants are monocots, which means they have one seed leaf when they sprout.
This group used to be considered its own separate family called Alliaceae. The name Allioideae comes from its main genus, Allium, which includes plants like onions and garlic. There are about 18 different groups (genera) of plants in the Allioideae subfamily.
Contents
What are Allioideae?
This plant group includes many plants you might know, like common garden plants. It also has some weeds, such as certain types of Nothoscordum.
How Plants are Grouped (Taxonomy)
Scientists group plants to understand how they are related. Over time, these groupings can change as new information is discovered.
When Carl Linnaeus first described the Allium group in 1753, he listed 30 different species. He placed them in a larger group based on how many stamens (male parts) and pistils (female parts) their flowers had.
Later, in 1763, Michel Adanson suggested the idea of "families" of plants. He included Allium and similar plants in a group he called "Onions" (or Cepae in Latin), which was part of the Liliaceae family. In 1789, Antoine Laurent de Jussieu officially set up a system for grouping plants into families.
The name 'Alliaceae' was first used in 1786 by Batsch. This name was later confirmed by Borkhausen in 1797. For a long time, plants in the Allioideae group were mostly seen as part of the Liliaceae family.
Modern Plant Classification
In the early 1900s, scientists started to question if the Allium-like plants truly belonged in the Liliaceae family. They looked at different features, not just the position of the ovary (where seeds develop). Some scientists, like Lotsy in 1911, suggested they should be their own separate family.
In 1926, John Hutchinson moved some of these plant groups from Liliaceae to the Amaryllidaceae family. However, not everyone agreed with this change right away.
Using DNA to Group Plants
In 1996, scientists began using molecular phylogenetic studies. This means they looked at the genes of plants, like their DNA, to see how closely they were related. This new way of studying plants helped clear up many questions about plant families.
These DNA studies showed that some plants previously grouped with Allioideae, like Agapanthus, were not as closely related as once thought. They also helped define the "Alliaceae" family more precisely.
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) is a group of scientists who use DNA evidence to classify flowering plants.
- In their 1998 system, Alliaceae was a separate family.
- In 2003, they suggested that Alliaceae could be combined with Agapanthaceae and Amaryllidaceae.
- By 2009, the APG system decided that the broader grouping was best. This meant that Alliaceae was no longer a separate family. Instead, it became a subfamily called Allioideae within the larger Amaryllidaceae family.
Many plants that were once in the Alliaceae family are now placed in another subfamily called Brodiaeoideae. The largest groups within Allioideae are Allium (with many species), Nothoscordum, and Tulbaghia.
How Allioideae is Divided
The Allioideae subfamily is divided into four main groups, called tribes:
- Allieae
- Tulbaghieae
- Gilliesieae
- Leucocoryneae
The first three tribes used to be subfamilies themselves when Alliaceae was considered a separate family. Leucocoryneae was added in 2014.
Allieae Tribe
Plants in this tribe often have simple or spreading bulbs. Their leaves have long sheaths. The flowers usually have 2-5 leaf-like parts (bracts) and their petals are separate. The ovary typically has many ovules (which become seeds). This tribe has only one genus, Allium, with over 500 species. They are found all over the Northern Hemisphere (like North America, Europe, and Asia).
Gilliesieae Tribe
These plants also have simple or spreading bulbs and long leaf sheaths. Their petals are usually joined together. The flowers have 1-2 bracts. The ovary usually has two ovules side by side. These flowers have a special shape that is not perfectly round (zygomorphic). There are nine genera in this tribe, mostly found in South America.
Leucocoryneae Tribe
Similar to Gilliesieae, these plants have simple or spreading bulbs and long leaf sheaths. Their petals are usually joined. The flowers have 1-2 bracts. The ovary usually has two ovules side by side. Unlike Gilliesieae, these flowers are usually round (actinomorphic). There are six genera and 42 species in this tribe. They are mostly found in South America, but two species of Nothoscordum also grow in southern North America.
Tulbaghieae Tribe
These plants have corms (like a solid bulb) or rhizomes (underground stems). Their leaf sheaths are short. Their flowers have a special crown-like part called a corona. This tribe has two genera and about 25 species. They are only found in South Africa.
Genera in Allioideae
As of December 2014, these 18 genera are part of the Allioideae subfamily:
- Allieae
- Allium L. (includes Milula Prain)
- Gilliesieae
- Ancrumia Harv. ex Baker
- Erinna Phil.
- Gethyum Phil.
- Gilliesia Lindl. (includes Pabellonia and Stemmatium)
- Miersia Lindl.
- Schickendantziella Looser
- Solaria Phil.
- Speea Loes.
- Trichlora Baker
- Leucocoryneae
- Beauverdia Herter
- Ipheion Rafinesque
- Leucocoryne Lindl.
- Nothoscordum Kunth.
- Tristagma Poepp.
- Zoellnerallium Crosa (1975).
- Tulbaghieae
- Tulbaghia L.
- Prototulbaghia Vosa
Plants That Used to Be Here
Some genera that were once part of the Alliaceae family have now been moved to the Themidaceae family (which is also known as the Asparagaceae subfamily Brodiaeoideae). These include: Androstephium, Bessera, Bloomeria, Brodiaea, Dandya, Dichelostemma, Jaimehintonia, Milla, Muilla, Petronymphe, Triteleia, and Triteleiopsis.
How the Tribes are Related
The Allieae tribe is the "sister" group to a larger group that includes both the Tulbaghieae and Gilliesieae tribes. This means they share a common ancestor.
| Subfamily Allioideae |
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Where Allioideae Plants Grow
The different tribes of Allioideae grow in specific parts of the world:
- The Allieae tribe is found in the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, North Africa, Europe, and Asia.
- The Tulbaghieae tribe is only found in South Africa.
- The Gilliesieae tribe is found in South America.
- The Leucocoryneae tribe is mostly found in South America, except for two species of Nothoscordum that also grow in southern North America.
This means that 14 out of the 18 genera in Allioideae are found only in temperate (mild climate) South America.
Uses of Allioideae Plants
Many plants in the Allium genus are important food plants. For example, we eat:
- onions (Allium cepa)
- chives (A. schoenoprasum)
- garlic (A. sativum and A. scordoprasum)
- leeks (A. porrum)
Other plants from this subfamily, like species of Allium, Gilliesia, Ipheion, Leucocoryne, Nothoscordum, and Tulbaghia, are grown as ornamental plants in gardens because they are beautiful.
Images for kids
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Borkhausen's description from 1797
See Also
In Spanish: Allioideae para niños
- Glossary of plant morphology
- Glossary of botanical terms
