XVI International Botanical Congess

Alstroemeriaceae was established by Dumortier in 1829. However, there is no unanimity so far about how many genera it comprises. Some authors recognize four genera: Alstroemeria, Bomarea, Schickendantzia and Leontochir. Bayer (1998) considers a fifth one, Taltalia. On the other hand, Hunziker (1973) suggests to merge them into a single one, Alstroemeria. The proposal of this study is to discuss the generic status in Alstroemeriaceae and point out which characters are important in order to delimit the genera of this family. We propose that Alstroemeriaceae must be considered as constituted by three genera: Alstroemeria (that includes Schickendantzia and Taltalia), Bomarea and Leontochir. Bayer. Sendtnera 5. 1998. Hunziker, A. Kurtziana 7. 1973.