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, and hosta, and the houseplants include snake plant, corn cane, spider plant, and plumosus fern.
In earlier classification systems, the species involved were often treated as belonging to the family Liliaceae. The APG II system of 2003 allowed two options as to the circumscription of the family: either Asparagaceae sensu lato ("in the wider sense") combining seven previously recognized families, or Asparagaceae sensu stricto ("in the strict sense") consisting of very few genera (notably Asparagus, also Hemiphylacus), but nevertheless totalling a few hundred species. The revised APG III system of 2009 allows only the broader sense. A paper published at the same time proposed seven subfamilies to correspond to the originally separate families. These are:
Asparagaceae includes 114 genera with a total of approximately 2,900 known species.[1] Unless otherwise noted, the alphabetical list below is based on genera accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as in the family Asparagaceae (with synonyms from the same source). The reference against the subfamily name is to the source which places the genus in that subfamily.
| Genus | ||
| Lomandroideae | Acanthocarpus Lehm. | |
| Agavoideae | Agave L. | |
| Scilloideae | Albuca L. (sometimes included in Ornithogalum) | |
| Scilloideae | Alrawia (Wendelbo) Perss. & Wendelbo | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Androstephium Torr. | |
| Agavoideae | Anemarrhena Bunge | |
| Agavoideae | Anthericum L. | |
| Aphyllanthoideae | Aphyllanthes L. | |
| Lomandroideae | Arthropodium R.Br. | |
| Asparagoideae | Asparagus Tourn. ex L. | |
| Nolinoideae | Aspidistra Ker Gawl. (including Antherolophus Gagnep., Colania Gagnep.) | |
| Scilloideae | Barnardia Lindl. | |
| Nolinoideae | Beaucarnea Lem. | |
| Agavoideae | Behnia Didr. | |
| Scilloideae | Bellevalia Lapeyr. (including Strangweja Bertol.) | |
| Agavoideae | Beschorneria Kunth | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Bessera Schult.f. (including Behria) | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Bloomeria Kellogg | |
| Scilloideae | Bowiea Harv. ex Hook.f. (Climbing Onion, Sea Onion) | |
| Scilloideae | Brimeura Salisb. | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Brodiaea Sm. | |
| Nolinoideae | Calibanus Rose | |
| Agavoideae | Camassia Lindl. | |
| Nolinoideae | Campylandra Baker | |
| Lomandroideae | Chamaexeros Benth. | |
| Scilloideae | Chionodoxa Boiss. (included in Scilla L. by some sources) | |
| Agavoideae | Chlorogalum (Lindl.) Kunth | |
| Agavoideae | Chlorophytum Ker Gawl. | |
| Nolinoideae | Comospermum Rauschert | |
| Nolinoideae | Convallaria L. | |
| Lomandroideae | Cordyline Comm. ex R.Br. (including Cohnia Kunth) | |
| Nolinoideae | Danae Medik. | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Dandya H.E.Moore | |
| Nolinoideae | Dasylirion Zucc. | |
| Scilloideae | Daubenya Lindl. (including Amphisiphon W.F.Barker, Androsiphon Schltr.) | |
| Agavoideae | Diamena Ravenna | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Dichelostemma Kunth (including Brevoortia, Stropholirion) | |
| Lomandroideae | Dichopogon Kunth (may be included in Arthropodium) | |
| Agavoideae | Diora Ravenna | |
| Scilloideae | Dipcadi Medik. (sometimes included in Ornithogalum) | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Dipterostemon Rydb. | |
| Nolinoideae | Disporopsis Hance | |
| Nolinoideae | Dracaena Vand. ex L. | |
| Scilloideae | Drimia Jacq. (including Litanthus Harv., Rhadamanthus Salisb., Rhodocodon Baker, Sypharissa Salisb., Tenicroa Raf., Thuranthos C.H.Wright, Urginea Steinh., Urgineopsis Compton) | |
| Scilloideae | Drimiopsis Lindl. & Paxton (sometimes included in Ledebouria) | |
| Agavoideae | Echeandia Ortega | |
| Agavoideae | Eremocrinum M.E.Jones | |
| Nolinoideae | Eriospermum Jacq. | |
| Scilloideae | Eucomis L'Hér. | |
| Lomandroideae | Eustrephus R.Br. | |
| Agavoideae | Furcraea Vent. | |
| Scilloideae | Galtonia Decne. (included in Ornithogalum L. by some sources) | |
| 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 (Engelm.) Trel. (included in Yucca by some sources) | |
| Nolinoideae | Heteropolygonatum M.N.Tamura & Ogisu | |
| Agavoideae | Hosta Tratt. | |
| Scilloideae | Hyacinthella Schur | |
| Scilloideae | Hyacinthoides Heist. ex Fabr. (including Endymion Dumort.) | |
| Scilloideae | Hyacinthus Tourn. ex L. | |
| Scilloideae | Lachenalia Jacq. ex Murray (including Brachyscypha Baker, Periboea Kunth, Polyxena Kunth) | |
| Lomandroideae | Laxmannia R.Br. (including Bartlingia F. Mueller) | |
| Scilloideae | Ledebouria Roth (including Resnova van der Merwe) | |
| Scilloideae | Leopoldia Parl. | |
| Agavoideae | Leucocrinum Nutt. ex A.Gray | |
| Nolinoideae | Liriope Lour. | |
| Lomandroideae | Lomandra Labill. (including Xerotes R. Brown) | |
| Nolinoideae | Maianthemum F.H.Wigg. (including Oligobotrya Baker, Smilacina Desf.) | |
| Agavoideae | Manfreda Salisb. (included in Agave by some sources) | |
| Scilloideae | Massonia Thunb. ex Houtt. (including Neobakeria Schltr., Whiteheadia Harv.) | |
| Scilloideae | Merwilla Speta | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Milla Cav. (including Diphalangium) | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Muilla S.Watson ex Benth. | |
| Lomandroideae | Murchisonia Brittan | |
| Scilloideae | Muscari Mill. (including Botryanthus Kunth, Muscarimia Kostel., Pseudomuscari Garbari & Greuter) | |
| Nolinoideae | Nolina Michx. | |
| Nolinoideae | Ophiopogon Ker Gawl. | |
| Scilloideae | Ornithogalum L. (including Battandiera Maire, Elsiea F.M.Leight., Neopatersonia Schonl.) | |
| Scilloideae | Oziroe Raf. (including Fortunatia J.F.Macbr.) | |
| Agavoideae | Paradisea Mazzuc. | |
| Nolinoideae | Peliosanthes Andrews | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Petronymphe H.E.Moore | |
| Agavoideae | Polianthes L. (included in Agave by some sources) | |
| Nolinoideae | Polygonatum Mill. | |
| Agavoideae | Prochnyanthes S.Watson | |
| Scilloideae | Prospero Salisb. | |
| Scilloideae | Pseudogaltonia (Kuntze) Engl. (sometimes included in Ornithogalum) | |
| Scilloideae | Pseudoprospero Speta | |
| Scilloideae | Puschkinia Adams | |
| Nolinoideae | Reineckea Kunth | |
| Nolinoideae | Rohdea Roth (including Gonioscypha Baker) | |
| Lomandroideae | Romnalda P.F.Stevens | |
| Nolinoideae | Ruscus L. | |
| Nolinoideae | Sansevieria Thunb. (included within Dracaena) | |
| Scilloideae | Schizobasis Baker (sometimes included in Drimia) | |
| Scilloideae | Schizocarphus van der Merwe | |
| Agavoideae | Schoenolirion Durand | |
| Scilloideae | Scilla L. | |
| Nolinoideae | Semele Kunth | |
| Lomandroideae | Sowerbaea Sm. | |
| Nolinoideae | Speirantha Baker | |
| Scilloideae | Spetaea Wetschnig & Pfosser | |
| Nolinoideae | Theropogon Maxim. | |
| Lomandroideae | Thysanotus R.Br. | |
| Lomandroideae | Trichopetalum Lindl. (including Bottinaea Colla) | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Triteleia Douglas ex Lindl. (including Hesperoscordium, Themis) | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Triteleiopsis Hoover | |
| Nolinoideae | Tupistra Ker Gawl. (including Campylandra Baker, Tricalistra Ridl.) | |
| Scilloideae | Veltheimia Gled. | |
| Lomandroideae | Xerolirion A.S.George | |
| Agavoideae | Yucca L. (including Samuela) | |
| Brodiaeoideae | Xochiquetzallia J.Gut |