石蒜科是单子叶植物纲，天门冬目的一个科。石蒜科分为三个亚科，约有60属，800多种，主要生长在世界各地的温带地区，中国有12属约25种。早期的分类系统（克朗奎斯特分类法）将石蒜科分类在百合目内，2003年经过改进的以基因亲缘关系分类的APG II 分类法认为可以和葱科及百子莲科合并，也可以单分。

本科植物为多年生草本，地下部有一被薄膜的鳞茎，较少为根茎；基生少数细长叶；花两性，单生或数朵排列成伞形花序，生于花茎顶端，下有一总苞，通常二至多枚膜质苞片构成，被片6枚、2轮，成美丽的花瓣状，下部常和生成长短不同的管，裂片上有附属物（副花冠），子房下位3枚；蒴果或肉质浆果。

The Amaryllidaceae (amaryllids), or Amaryllis family, are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants included in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus Amaryllis, hence the common name of the amaryllis family. The leaves are usually linear, the flowers usually bisexual and symmetrical, arranged in umbels on the stem. The petals and sepals are undifferentiated as tepals, which may be fused at the base into a floral tube. Some also display a corona. Allyl sulfide compounds produce the characteristic odour of the onion subfamily (Allioideae).