Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, Asparagus officinalis. This family includes both common garden plants as well as common houseplants. The garden plants include asparagus, yucca, bluebell, lily of the valley, and hosta, and the houseplants include snake plant, corn cane, spider plant, and plumosus fern.
The Asparagaceae is a morphologically heterogenous family with the included species varying widely in their appearance and growth form. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, with genera and species contained in the family native to all continents except Antarctica.
Taxonomy
Early taxonomy
The plant family Asparagaceae was first named, described, and published in Genera Plantarum in 1789 by the French botanist Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, who is particularly noted for his work in developing the concept of plant families. From the time of first introduction until the 21st century, the Asparagaceae was a monotypic family containing only the single genus, Asparagus, after which the family was named.Asparagaceae under the APG II system
In 2003, the formation of the APG II plant classification system radically expanded the Asparagaceae to include the genera and species previously contained in seven plant families. In the APG II system, two options were provided as to the circumscription of the family, with Asparagaceae sensu lato being the broader circumscription of the family documented in the APG II; or, Asparagaceae sensu stricto consisting of only Asparagus and Hemiphylacus. If opting to use Asparagaceae sensu lato, the paper outlining the APG II system recommended placing the previously recognised family in parentheses after Asparagaceae.' The paper also recommended including grouping the families Anemarrhenaceae, Anthericaeae, Behniaceae and Herreriaceae with the Agavaceae, noting that in 2000, the Convallariaceae, Dracaenaceae, Eriospermaceae and Nolinaceae had been grouped together in the Ruscaceae.'| Family | Previously recognised families optionally included in APG II | Notes |
| Asparagaceae | Agavaceae | Includes: Anemarrhenaceae Anthericaeae Behniaceae Herreriaceae |
| Asparagaceae | Aphyllanthaceae | |
| Asparagaceae | Asparagaceae | |
| Asparagaceae | Hyacinthaceae | |
| Asparagaceae | Laxmanniaceae | |
| Asparagaceae | Ruscaceae | Includes: Convallariaceae Dracaenaceae Eriospermaceae Nolinaceae |
| Asparagaceae | Themidaceae |
Asparagaceae under the APG III system
In 2009, botanists proposed a major revision of the Asparagales order of plants, that included a vast expansion of three constituent plant families; the Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae, to include large number of genera in former plant families by placing them into subfamilies nested within these three plant families. Under the APG III system, the Asparagaceae contain seven subfamilies, and unlike the APG II system, Asparagaceae was only circumscribed in the broad sense, but the Asparagaceae subfamily Asparagoideae is roughly equivalent to Asparagaceae under the APG II system. Whilst the subfamilies are broadly equivalent to the previous subdivision by families under the APG II system, genera previously included in one previously recognised family may have moved to another subfamily under the APG III system, or even placed into another family outside of the Asparagaceae.| Family | Subfamily | Previous subdivision under the APG II system |
| Asparagaceae | Agavoideae | Agavaceae |
| Asparagaceae | Aphyllanthoideae | Aphyllanthaceae |
| Asparagaceae | Asparagoideae | Asparagaceae |
| Asparagaceae | Scilloideae | Hyacinthaceae |
| Asparagaceae | Lomandroideae | Laxmanniaceae |
| Asparagaceae | Convallarioideae | Ruscaceae |
| Asparagaceae | Brodiaeoideae | Themidaceae |
Genera
As of July 2025, the family Asparagaceae includes 126 genera; and these genera contain approximately 3,170 accepted species altogether, although the number of accepted genera and their constituent species varies depending on authority and changes with time. The reference against the subfamily name is to the source which places the genus in that subfamily.| Subfamily | Genus |
| Lomandroideae | Acanthocarpus Lehm. |
| Agavoideae | Agave L. |
| Scilloideae | Albuca L. |
| Scilloideae | Alrawia Perss. & Wendelbo |
| Brodiaeoideae | Androstephium Torr. |
| Agavoideae | Anemarrhena Bunge |
| Agavoideae | Anthericum L. |
| Aphyllanthoideae | Aphyllanthes L. |
| Lomandroideae | Arthropodium R.Br. |
| Asparagoideae | Asparagus Tourn. ex L. |
| Convallarioideae | Aspidistra Ker Gawl. |
| Scilloideae | Autonoe Speta |
| Scilloideae | Barnardia Lindl. |
| Convallarioideae | Beaucarnea Lem. |
| Agavoideae | Behnia Didr. |
| Brodiaeoideae | Behria Greene |
| Scilloideae | Bellevalia Lapeyr. |
| Agavoideae | Beschorneria Kunth |
| Brodiaeoideae | Bessera Schult.f. |
| Brodiaeoideae | Bloomeria Kellogg |
| Scilloideae | Bowiea Harv. ex Hook.f. |
| Scilloideae | Brimeura Salisb. |
| Brodiaeoideae | Brodiaea Sm. |
| Agavoideae | Camassia Lindl. |
| Lomandroideae | Chamaexeros Benth. |
| Agavoideae | Chlorogalum Kunth |
| Agavoideae | Chlorophytum Ker Gawl. |
| Agavoideae | Clara Kunth |
| Convallarioideae | Comospermum Rauschert |
| Convallarioideae | Convallaria L. |
| Lomandroideae | Cordyline Comm. ex R.Br. |
| Convallarioideae | Danae Medik. |
| Brodiaeoideae | Dandya H.E.Moore |
| Convallarioideae | Dasylirion Zucc. |
| Scilloideae | Daubenya Lindl. |
| Agavoideae | Diamena Ravenna |
| Brodiaeoideae | Dichelostemma Kunth |
| Lomandroideae | Dichopogon Kunth |
| Agavoideae | Diora Ravenna |
| Scilloideae | Dipcadi Medik. |
| Brodiaeoideae | Dipterostemon Rydb. |
| Convallarioideae | Disporopsis Hance |
| Agavoideae | Diuranthera Hemsl. |
| Convallarioideae | Dracaena Vand. ex L. |
| Scilloideae | Drimia Jacq. |
| Scilloideae | Drimiopsis Lindl. & Paxton |
| Agavoideae | Echeandia Ortega |
| Agavoideae | Echinoagave A.Vázquez, Rosales & García-Mor. |
| Agavoideae | Eremocrinum M.E.Jones |
| Convallarioideae | Eriospermum Jacq. |
| Scilloideae | Eucomis L'Hér. |
| Lomandroideae | Eustrephus R.Br. |
| Scilloideae | Fessia Speta |
| Agavoideae | Furcraea Vent. |
| Scilloideae | Galtonia Decne. |
| Agavoideae | Hagenbachia Nees & Mart. |
| Agavoideae | Hastingsia S.Watson |
| Asparagoideae | Hemiphylacus S.Watson |
| Agavoideae | Herreria Ruiz & Pav. |
| Agavoideae | Herreriopsis H.Perrier |
| Agavoideae | Hesperaloe Engelm. in S.Watson |
| Agavoideae | Hesperocallis A.Gray |
| Agavoideae | Hesperoyucca Trel. |
| Convallarioideae | Heteropolygonatum M.N.Tamura & Ogisu |
| Agavoideae | Hooveria D.W.Taylor & D.J.Keil |
| Agavoideae | Hosta Tratt. |
| Scilloideae | Hyacinthella Schur |
| Scilloideae | Hyacinthoides Heist. ex Fabr. |
| Scilloideae | Hyacinthus Tourn. ex L. |
| Brodiaeoideae | Jaimehintonia B.L.Turner |
| Scilloideae | Lachenalia Jacq. ex Murray |
| Lomandroideae | Laxmannia R.Br. |
| Scilloideae | Ledebouria Roth |
| Scilloideae | Leopoldia Parl. |
| Agavoideae | Leucocrinum Nutt. ex A.Gray |
| Convallarioideae | Liriope Lour. |
| Lomandroideae | Lomandra Labill. |
| Convallarioideae | Maianthemum F.H.Wigg. |
| Agavoideae | Manfreda Salisb. |
| Scilloideae | Massonia Thunb. ex Houtt. |
| Scilloideae | Merwilla Speta |
| Brodiaeoideae | Milla Cav. |
| Brodiaeoideae | Muilla S.Watson ex Benth. |
| Scilloideae | Muscari Mill. |
| Scilloideae | Muscarimia Kostel. ex Losinsk. |
| Scilloideae | Namophila U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies |
| Convallarioideae | Nolina Michx. |
| Scilloideae | Occultia Stedje & Rulkens |
| Convallarioideae | Ophiopogon Ker Gawl. |
| Scilloideae | Ornithogalum L. |
| Scilloideae | Oziroe Raf. |
| Agavoideae | Paleoagave A.Vázquez, Rosales & García-Mor. |
| Agavoideae | Paraagave A.Vázquez, Rosales & García-Mor. |
| Agavoideae | Paradisea Mazzuc. |
| Convallarioideae | Peliosanthes Andrews |
| Brodiaeoideae | Petronymphe H.E.Moore |
| Agavoideae | Polianthes L. |
| Convallarioideae | Polygonatum Mill. |
| Agavoideae | Prochnyanthes S.Watson |
| Scilloideae | Prospero Salisb. |
| Scilloideae | Pseudogaltonia Engl. |
| Scilloideae | Pseudolachenalia G.D.Duncan |
| Scilloideae | Pseudoprospero Speta |
| Scilloideae | Puschkinia Adams |
| Convallarioideae | Reineckea Kunth |
| Scilloideae | Resnova van der Merwe |
| Convallarioideae | Rohdea Roth |
| Lomandroideae | Romnalda P.F.Stevens |
| Convallarioideae | Ruscus L. |
| Scilloideae | Schizocarphus van der Merwe |
| Agavoideae | Schoenolirion Durand |
| Scilloideae | Scilla L. |
| Convallarioideae | Semele Kunth |
| Lomandroideae | Sowerbaea Sm. |
| Convallarioideae | Speirantha Baker |
| Scilloideae | Spetaea Wetschnig & Pfosser |
| Convallarioideae | Theropogon Maxim. |
| Lomandroideae | Thysanotus R.Br. |
| Lomandroideae | Trichopetalum Lindl. |
| Agavoideae | Trihesperus Herb. |
| Brodiaeoideae | Triteleia Douglas ex Lindl. |
| Brodiaeoideae | Triteleiopsis Hoover |
| Convallarioideae | Tupistra Ker Gawl. |
| Scilloideae | Veltheimia Gled. |
| Lomandroideae | Xerolirion A.S.George |
| Brodiaeoideae | Xochiquetzallia J.Gut |
| Agavoideae | Yucca L. |
| Scilloideae | Zagrosia Speta |