The Bulbs of the World

Shields Gardens
Jim's Hobby Garden and Greenhouses from Westfield

The Bulbs of the World: Introduction

Bulbs of the flower world include many families, although the majority are moncotyledons. Among these are the lilies, family Liliaceae; irids, family Iridaceae; amaryllids, family Amaryllidaceae; the onions and their relatives, family Alliaceae; hyacinths and relatives, family Hyacinthaceae; the colchicums, family Colchicaceae; and many others. A very new family is the Themidaceae, which includes Brodiaea and related genera of American bulbs. In the Trilliaceae, we have only the genus Trillium represented here.

Another monocot family, not closely related to the Asparagales or Liliales, but containing some very interesting geophytes, is the Aroid Family, Araceae. For northern gardeners, the familiar "Jack in the Pulpit" is an example of a hardy aroid.

Other orders in the Monocotyledons include Bromeliales (the bromeliads), Poales (the grasses), Orchidales (orchids), and Zingiberales (gingers); and there are many more besides these. Plants of the genus Acorus, often included in the Arales (aroids), are though by some to represent the most primitive moncots in existence.

This site will emphasize the natural species of bulbous flowering plants, and some of their immediate hybrids. There are speciality societies for genus Lilium and its hybrids; for the daffodils; and for the garden irises and their hybrids.

Although many orchids have "pseudobulbs," we do not cover orchids; the American Orchid Society has a WWW site of its own, for those interested.

Phylogenetic Trees
The older usage of the family Liliaceae was an all-inclusive collection of plants that are considered in most recent classifications to belong to many families in at least two orders, Asparagales and Liliales. The Alliaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Hyacinthaceae, Iridaceae, and Themidaceae are now considered part of the Asparagales.

We have posted some of the phylogenetic trees based on DNA sequences.

Members of several internet plant groups are cooperating to develop databases of plants.

no longer sell bulbs, see: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/, but we can still swap if you want what we have to offer and have what we want: Desired Bulbs and Bulbs Offered.

Visit the Great Lakes Bulb Society home page.

For information about this account, contact:

James E. Shields,
shieldsgardens@gmail.com