Asparagales

Asparagales Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous– Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales Link[1][2]
Type genus
Asparagus L.
Families
Families Amaryllidaceae 74 Asparagaceae 75 Asphodelaceae 73 Asteliaceae 65 Blandfordiaceae 64 Boryaceae 63 Doryanthaceae 69 Hypoxidaceae 67 Iridaceae 71 Ixioliriaceae 70 Lanariaceae 66 Orchidaceae 62 Tecophilaeaceae 68 Xeronemataceae 72 sensu LAPG[3]
Synonyms
Asparagales Bromhead[4] Iridales Dumort.

Asparagales (asparagoid lilies) are a diverse order of flowering plants in the monocots. Under the APG IV system of flowering plant classification, Asparagales are the largest order of monocots with 14 families,^[5] 1,122 genera, and about 36,000 species, with members as varied as asparagus, orchids, yuccas, irises, onions, garlic, leeks, and other Alliums, daffodils, snowdrops, amaryllis, agaves, butcher's broom, Agapanthus, Solomon's seal, hyacinths, bluebells, spider plants, grasstrees, aloe, freesias, gladioli, crocuses, and saffron.

Most species of Asparagales are herbaceous perennials, although some are climbers and some are trees or shrubs. The order also contains many geophytes (bulbs, corms, and various kinds of tuber). The leaves of almost all species form a tight rosette, either at the base of the plant or at the end of the stem, but occasionally along the stem. The flowers are not particularly distinctive, being 'lily type', with six tepals and up to six stamina. One of the defining characteristics (synapomorphies) of the order is the presence of phytomelanin, a black pigment present in the seed coat, creating a dark crust. Phytomelanin is found in most families of the Asparagales (although not in Orchidaceae, thought to be the sister-group of the rest of the order).

The order Asparagales takes its name from the type family Asparagaceae and has only recently been recognized in classification systems. The order is clearly circumscribed on the basis of molecular phylogenetics, but it is difficult to define morphologically since its members are structurally diverse. The order was first put forward by Huber in 1977 and later taken up in the Dahlgren system of 1985 and then the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group systems. Before this, many of its families were assigned to the old order Liliales, which was redistributed over three orders, Liliales, Asparagales, and Dioscoreales, based on molecular phylogenetics. The boundaries of the Asparagales and of its families have undergone a series of changes in recent years; future research may lead to further changes and ultimately greater stability.

The order is thought to have first diverged from other related monocots some 120–130 million years ago (early in the Cretaceous period), although given the difficulty in classifying the families involved, estimates are likely to be uncertain.

From an economic point of view, the order Asparagales is second in importance within the monocots only to the order Poales (which includes grasses and cereals). Species are used as food and flavourings (e.g. onion, garlic, leek, asparagus, vanilla, saffron), in medicinal or cosmetic applications (Aloe), as cut flowers (e.g. freesia, gladiolus, iris, orchids), and as garden ornamentals (e.g. day lilies, lily of the valley, Agapanthus).