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Alliaceae is a family of herbaceous perennial plants. They are monocots, part of order Asparagales.
Genus Allium includes several important food plants, including Onion (Allium cepa), Chives (A. schoenoprasum), Garlic (A. sativum and A. scordoprasum), and Leek (A. porrum).
The Alliaceae are closely related to two other families on order Asparagales, the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) and family Agapanthaceae, which includes the single genus Agapanthus. Based on the close relationship between the three families, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group recognizes the alternative of including the Amaryllidaceae and the Agapanthaceae in family Alliaceae.
Several genera that were historically classified in the Alliaceae, including Androstephium, Bessera, Bloomeria, Brodiaea, Dandya, Dichellostemma, Milla, Petronymphe, Triteleia, and Triteleiopsis, are now increasingly thought to represent a separate family, Themidaceae.
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