Gethyllidinae
| Gethyllidinae | |
|---|---|
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| Gethyliis afra | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Amaryllidoideae |
| Tribe: | Haemantheae |
| Subtribe: |
Gethyllidinae Dumort. |
| Type genus | |
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Gethyllis L. |
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| Genera | |
| Synonyms | |
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Gethyllidinae is a small subtribe within the amaryllis family. It is within Haemantheae tribe, and therefore within the African clades of Amaryllidoideae. It contains two genera, Gethyllis and Apodolirion, both are endemic to southern Africa.
Gethyllis and Apodolirion are two unifloral genera with fused spathe bracts that retain the ovary inside the bulbs until the fruit matures. In both the scape remains inside the bulbs. The fruit is large, fleshy, and aromatic with many seeds, and distinct from the rest of Haemantheae which have berry fruits with only a few seeds. These seeds are also small and hard, while the rest of Haemantheae have seeds that are larger, fleshy and water rich.
The genera are also distinguished from each other by their stigmata. In Gethyllis this is capitate, while in Apodolirion it is . Also, Apodolirion has six stamina while Gethyllis has many more, with some species having 18 or more.
For the early taxonomic history of these two genera, see Meerow and Clayton (2004).Gethyllis was one of the two Hamantheae genera to be described (Linnaeus 1753), and in 1829 Dumortier placed it in a monotypic higher taxon, tribe Gethyllideae, and hence is given as the authority, a practice followed by Salisbury.Baker described Apodolirion in 1878, noting the close resemblance to Gethyllis.Pax (1888) then placed both genera in his subtribe Zephyranthinae, as one of six genera, a practice followed by Hutchinson (1926), though at tribal rank.
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