Convallariaceae

Abstract

Terrestrial or rarely epiphytic herbs with caulescent, perennial or annual aerial stems, or rosettes of leaves to 1 m tall arising from subterrancean or exposed rhizomes with fibrous or tuberous roots. Leaves alternate, distichous, opposite or verticillate, sessile or more or less petiolate, with or without sheathing base; blades entire, ovate to linear, sometimes sagittate, with 1-few prominent parallel main veins, and between them, parallel or transverse venation. Inflorescences axillary or terminal racemes or spikes, or terminal reduced dibotrya or panicles, or single or several flowers in leaf axils. Flowers hermaphrodite or rarely unisexual and dioecious, actinomorphic to slightly zygomorphic, hypogynous or perigynous, erect to pendulous; tepals petaloid, in 2 whorls of 3 (most genera), 4–5 or 2 dimerous whorls, both whorls of similar length, sometimes united to form a perianth tube, articulating at the base of the ovary or along the pedicel, often with septal nectaries, white, sometimes spotted with purplish red, green, yellow mauve to purple, or purplish brown. Stamens 4, 6 (most genera), 8, 10 or 12 in 2 whorls, filaments free, connate, adnate to the tepals or attached to a corona; anthers introrse, basifixed or dorsifixed, dehiscing longitudinally. Gynoecium syncarpous, ovary 2-5-locular with axile intrusive placentae; style erect, filiform or stout; stigmas capitate, 3-lobate or expanded into a shieldlike structure; ovules anatropous, campylotropous or more or less atropous borne in 2 rows. Fruit a blue, purple, brown, black, red or yellow berry, dry dehiscent capsule (Gonioscypha), drupe (Tricalistra) or dry, papery, indehiscent structure which ruptures during seed development (Ophiopogoneae); seeds single to many, more or less ovoid to globose, yellow-brown or berrylike, blue or black at maturity and with a fleshy sarcotesta. Embryo linear, at least 1/2 as long as seed; embedded in a copious starchless endosperm.