Three species were removed from the genus to Anticlea and two or three (depending on whether S. leimanthoides is maintained as a separate species) added from Zigadenussensu lato, the deathcamases.[3] (See also Phylogeny of Melanthieae.) Members of Stenanthium, as currently circumscribed, may also be distinguished from other deathcamases by having a slender cylindrical bulb and the lack of sarcotesta on its brown seeds. They occur in the eastern and south-central United States.[4][3]
Different botanists and sources recognize different numbers of distinct species. The Flora of North America and USDA recognize two: Stenanthium gramineum and Stenanthium occidentale.[12][13] Several sources recognize S. leimanthoides as a separate species.[14][15][16][17] The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognized three species in 2013, treating S. leimanthoides as a synonym of S. densum.[1] Plants of the World Online treats S. occidentale as a synonym of Anticlea occidentale.[18] Research by Sorrie and Weakley (2017) described two new species of Stenanthium in the southeastern United States: S. macrum and S. tennesseense.[17]
^Zomlefer, WB; NH Williams; WM Whitten; WS Judd (2001). "Generic circumscriptions and relationships in the tribe Melanthieae (Liliales, Melanthiaceae), with emphasis on Zigadenus: Evidence from ITS and TRNL-F sequence data". American Journal of Botany. 88 (9). Botanical Society of America: 1657โ1669. doi:10.2307/3558411. JSTOR3558411. PMID21669700.
^Weldy, Troy; David Werier & Andrew Nelson (2013). "Stenanthium leimanthoides". New York Flora Atlas. Florida Center for Community Design and Research. New York Flora Association. Retrieved 2013-08-21.