See references

Plants herbaceous or woody, annual or perennials, often growing from underground corms or, less frequently, bulbs, sometimes rhizomatous, sometimes acaulescent; stems usually ascending to erect, sometimes from a procumbent, somtimes scandent, occasionally occurring as clusters of linear green segments. Leaves basal, alternate, or whorled, simple, usually lanceolate to linear or oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, sometimes reduced and scalelike. Inflorescences various, often subtended by a bract. Flowers bracteate, bisexual, radially symmetric; bracts scarious; tepals in 2 similar whorls of 3, sometimes united at the base; stamens 6, alternate with the tepals; ovaries superior or inferior, 3-celled, sith many seeds; seeds often with a crusty, black seed coat. 

The Asparagaceae family, as described above, is very large, including about 155 genera and 2600 species. It is also contentious, many taxonomists prefering to recognize several, smaller families among its members but there is disagreement on how many and what their boundaries should be. Openherbarium uses the broad circumscription recommended in APG4.  It includes 153 genera and over 2,600 species and is global in its distribution. The description above is based on treatments of the genera described in the Flora of Somalia. 

Key to the genera of Asparagaceae in Somaliland and Somalia. 

References

Demissew, S. (1995) Asparagaceae in M. Thulin (Ed.) Flora of Somalia 4:24-27.  Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.

Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 14. 

Thulin, M. (1995) Agavaceae in M. Thulin (Ed.) Flora of Somalia 4:30-31.  Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.

Thulin, M. (1995) Dracaenaceae in M. Thulin (Ed.) Flora of Somalia 4: 27-30.  Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.

Thulin, M. (1995) Hyacinthaceae in M. Thulin (Ed.) Flora of Somalia 4: 49-56. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.

Global distribution of Asparagaceae from GBIF.