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Alliaceae (onion, garlic, leek family)
Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants)
> Monocotyledons > Order: Asparagales
There are 20 genera and about 795 species worldwide
(cosmopolitan), with two genera and 22 species indigenous to southern Africa. An
additional one genus and species is naturalised and an additional two genera and
15 species (13 of them in the onion genus Allium)
are cultivated in the region.
Genera indigenous to southern Africa
Allium
There are about 550 species worldwide, most of them
occurring in the northern hemisphere. Allium dregeanum is the only
species thought to be native to southern Africa although there is some doubt
that it originates here. An additional 13 species are cultivated in the region,
including leek,
onion, shallot,
chives
and garlic. |
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Tulbaghia
There are about 20 species,
all African and mainly in southern Africa. |
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Genera naturalised in southern Africa
Nothoscordum
There are 18 species
worldwide, found mainly in the Americas. Nothoscordum
borbonicum is an introduced weed in southern Africa, often found
growing in garden lawns and along roads. It is difficult to control because
the parent plant produces many small bulblets which get left behind when the
plant is pulled out. |
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Other genera, cultivated in southern Africa
List from Glen (2002), where they are listed under
Liliaceae. Both these genera have only one species cultivated in the region, so
the species name is provided.
Ipheion uniflorum
Indigenous to Uruguay and Argentina. |
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Leucocoryne ixioides (Glory of the sun)
Indigenous to Chile. |
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Publications
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