Agapanthus

Agapanthus
Agapanthus praecox
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Agapanthoideae
Genus: Agapanthus
L'Hér.
Type species
Agapanthus africanus
Synonyms[1]
  • Abumon Adans.
  • Mauhlia Dahl
  • Tulbaghia Heist. 1755, rejected name, not L. 1771
Agapanthus flower and leaves

Agapanthus (/ˌæɡəˈpænθəs/)[2] is a genus of plants, the only one in the subfamily Agapanthoideae of the family Amaryllidaceae.[3] The family is in the monocot order Asparagales. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ἀγάπη (agápē) 'love' and ἄνθος (ánthos) 'flower'.

Some species of Agapanthus are commonly known as lily of the Nile, or African lily in the UK. However, they are not lilies and all of the species are native to Southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique), though some have become naturalized in scattered places around the world (Australia, Great Britain, Mexico, Ethiopia, Jamaica, etc.).[1][4]

Species boundaries are not clear in the genus, and in spite of having been intensively studied, the number of species recognized by different authorities varies from 6 to 10. The type species for the genus is Agapanthus africanus.[5] Many hybrids and cultivars have been produced. They are cultivated throughout warm areas of the world. They can especially be spotted throughout Northern California.[6] Most of these were described in a book published in 2004.[7]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference WCSP_293520 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book. 1995. pp. 606–607.
  3. ^ Stevens, P. F. "Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Agapanthoideae".
  4. ^ Klaus Kubitzki. 1998. "" pages 58–60. In: Klaus Kubitzki (editor). 1998. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants volume III. Springer-Verlag: Berlin;Heidelberg, Germany. ISBN 978-3-540-64060-8
  5. ^ "Agapanthus" In: Index Nominum Genericorum. In: Regnum Vegetabile (see External links below).
  6. ^ Anthony Huxley, Mark Griffiths, and Margot Levy (1992). The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press,Limited: London. The Stockton Press: New York. ISBN 978-0-333-47494-5 (set).
  7. ^ Wim Snoeijer. 2004. Agapanthus A revision of the genus. Timber Press: Portland, OR, USA. ISBN 978-0-88192-631-6.