| When I see an
article about taxonomy in the news, I get excited.
Unfortunately I also sometimes I cringe at oversimplifications
or mutter frustrated comments at outright errors. One
particular group I've noticed that almost no one gets right,
at least not completely, is the monocots.
Monocots are an entire class of
plants, and everyone—absolutely everyone—seems convinced
they are all in the lily family. And that’s where the
explanation typically goes awry. There are a dozen orders
within the monocots, and up to ten families within each order.
That means that monocots are very diverse and quite different
from one other. Therefore lumping them together in a garden
can be a mistake because they may have vastly different forms
and growing requirements.
So if you're a gardener, what
do you really need to know? You don't want to argue the finer
points of taxonomy with your neighbors, you just want to buy,
grow and enjoy plants. Here's the low down on monocots:
First, when somebody explains
to you that a new plant is "basically a lily," take
it with a little salt. They are probably correct that it is a
monocot, but as I've said, that's a very diverse group. Ask
for specifics like soil preference, heat tolerance, moisture
requirement, bloom period, ultimate size, etc. If all they can
say is they are "like a lily," that may be worse
than "I don't know."
Here are some monocot flowers
that are not "like" lilies: flowering gingers (Hedychium,
Curcuma), canna lilies (Canna), bananas (Musa),
bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia), and lobster-claws (Heliconia).
These plants all belong to the order Zingiberales and all have
very un-lily-like blooms: asymmetric flowers, modified
stamens, and specialized pollination. For gardeners, these
plants can be combined to produce shockingly colorful
displays, their foliage can be just as attractive as their
blooms, and none are hardy in Green Bay. By the way, their
relatives, the prayer plants (Maranta, Calathea and
others), are house plants known for their attractive foliage.
Here are some plants that are
darned difficult for anyone to sort out: grasses, sedges,
rushes, and maybe the cattails. All are grass-like, but they
belong to several different families within the monocot group.
To keep my explanation short, I'll just say that none of them
are in the lily family, and you have my permission to set
straight anyone who says otherwise. As gardeners, your
concerns are size, spread, and shape: how tall will it grow,
does it try to spread by seeds or runners, and what shape will
the seedheads produce for you? For example, cattails can reach
five feet, will definitely spread, and have the lovely
familiar brown "hotdogs" full of seeds.
Another distinct group is the
"aroids," the family Araceae. You may have heard
about the titan arum of Madison? Yes, this is in the same
family. Every bloom these plants produce has a central column
(spadix), surrounded by a special leaflike covering (spathe),
as typified by jack-in-the-pulpits (Arisaema triphylla),
calla lilies (Zantedeschia), or peace lilies (Spathiphyllum).
A few produce strong unpleasant smells, like skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus
foetidus). Gardeners should be advised that while Araceae
blooms are impressive, even showy, most of these plants are
not colorful, producing whites, greens, dark reds are rarely
yellows. Elephant ears (Colocasia) are one example
where the foliage shows great value in its variability, but
the bloom usually goes unnoticed.
I can't help but mention the
palms (Arecaceae). The most majestic of monocots, they cover
the world's tropics… Would any of you try to grow one like a
lily? Good, I thought not. Only the windmill palm (Trachycarpus
fortunei) has half a chance of growing in Wisconsin, and
then only in warm sheltered zone 5 areas with plenty of winter
coverage, tender loving care, and possibly divine
intervention.
Orchids (Orchidaceae) and
Irises (Iridaceae) are probably familiar monocots that most
people understand as distinct from lilies. But watch the
common names: Blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis)
is a member of the Iris family, not the lilies! When you look
at its leaves, you'll see the foliage of an iris or gladiola!
(And that it might change where you'd choose to plant it.)
Then there are aloes (Aloe), agaves (Agave),
amaryllises (Amaryllis), hyacinths (Hyacinthus),
daylilies (Hemerocallis), daffodils (Narcissus),
onions (Allium), rain lilies (Zephranthes), and
even the yuccas (Yucca). None are now considered
lilies: they belong to various families in the asparagus order
(Asparagales). As gardeners, you want to consider each of
these individually based upon whether they are bulbs, have
fibrous roots, will spread, or will need to be replanted.
Finally, there are the more
than 400 species of plants that are truly in the lily family (Liliaceae).
Many are familiar: tulips (Tulipa), trout lilies (Erythronium),
fritillaries (Fritillaria) and of course, the eighty
species of true lilies (Lilium). Many are good to grow
in Wisconsin, although quite a number need winter protection.
I do not anticipate your
average gardener to commit all of these taxonomical faux pas
to memory, however I want to make sure one point is clear.
Please enjoy and culture your monocots, but learn to
appreciate them as individuals, not lumped version of the ones
you already know. |
