Tulipeae

The Tulipeae (syn. Tulipoideae) Duby^[1] is a tribe of monocotyledon perennial, herbaceous mainly bulbous flowering plants in the Liliaceae (lily) family. As originally conceived by Duby (1828), "Tulipaceae" was a tribe within Liliaceae, consisting of the genera Tulipa, Fritillaria and Lilium. ^[1]

Tulipa sylvestris subsp. australis with seedpod (right), 1804

Description

Herbaceous non-climbing bulbous plants. Bulbs consisting of a single scale. Anthers pseudo-basifixed. fruit consists of a loculicidal capsule, seeds not winged. Tetrasporic embryo-sac formation with 7–8 nuclei. Nucella having a short base. Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) non-Clintonia type. Chromosomes large - 2–11 μm (1–6 μm in Gagea). Genome size (3)4–25(70) pg, x = (9)12. Polyploidy common.^[2]

Taxonomy

Tulipeae remained a core group of the Liliaceae, containing the type genus, Lilium for most of its taxonomic history. For instance, Bentham and Hooker (1883),^[3] placed Lilium together with Tulipa and five other genera in Liliaceae tribe Tulipeae.

In the modern era, Takhtadzhi︠an described the tribe as having four genera:^[4]

• Tulipa
• Amana (considered by some to be included in Tulipa)
• Holongia^[a]
• Erythronium

Later only Tulipa and Erythronium were included, and Gagea was added. Tulipeae has been variously constructed, chiefly as either a tribe of the subfamily Lilioideae,^[5] or a subfamily of Liliaceae itself (Tulipoideae).^[6] However it has been proposed that Gagea should be in its own tribe, the Lloydieae.^[7]

The evolutionary and phylogenetic relationships of Tulipeae within Liliaceae are shown in the following Cladogram.

Cladogram: Phylogeny and biogeography of the genera of the Liliaceae

Liliaceae West NA Tricyrtis Streptopoideae Streptopus Prosartes Scoliopus West NA Calochortus Lilioideae* East NA EA Medeoleae East NA Clintonia Medeola Lilieae s.l. EA Tulipeae East Asia Tulipa Amana Erythronium Gagea (Lloydia) Lilieae s.s. Himalayas Notholirion Cardiocrinum Lilium (Nomocharis) Fritillaria

Phylogenetic tree reflecting relationships based on molecular phylogenetic evidence. *=Liliaceae sensu Tamura; EA=Eurasia NA=North America

Here, Tulipeae is shown as a clade within the broader construction of Lileae (sensu lato), or as a separate biogeographical tribe if the narrow sense of Lileae (sensu stricto) is adopted, with Lileae and Tulipeae as sister groups. The continuing use of Tulipeae as a separate tribe is supported by several authors.^[7][2]

Genera

Genera (species)^[2]

• Amana Honda (5)
• Erythronium L. (15)
• Gagea Salisb. (=Lloydia Salisb.) (ca. 300)
• Tulipa L. (ca. 150)

Gagea is sister to the other three genera.

Synonyms

• Gageeae Rouy, Fl. France 12: 380. 1910.
• Lloydieae Buxb., Bot. Arch. 38: 389. 1937.
• Tulipoideae Kostel, Allg. Med.-Pharm. Fl. 1: 168. 1831.^[2]

Notes

1. Holongia: A genus only recognised by Takhtadzhi︠an