About Melanthiaceae
Melanthiaceae, commonly known as the bunchflower family, is a family of flowering herbaceous perennial plants native to the Northern Hemisphere. Like many other lilioid monocots, early botanists classified members of this family within the lily family, Liliaceae. This classification was partly because the sepals and petals of Melanthiaceae plants are very similar to each other, and are often large and showy, matching the appearance of lily flowers. Some more recent taxonomists have instead placed these plants in the family Trilliaceae. However, the most authoritative modern botanical treatment, the 2009 APG III system, places Melanthiaceae in the order Liliales within the monocot clade. This placement has not changed from the earlier 2003 APG II system and the 1998 APG system. When circumscribed under this modern framework, the family includes up to 17 genera. Well-known genera that belong to Melanthiaceae include Paris and Trillium.
