The Asparagaceae is a morphologically heterogenous family with the included species varying widely in their appearance and growth form.

It has a cosmopolitan distribution, with genera and species contained in the family native to all continents except Antarctica.

In the APG II system, two options were provided as to the circumscription of the family, with Asparagaceae sensu lato (meaning in the wider sense) being the broader circumscription of the family documented in the APG II; or, Asparagaceae sensu stricto (meaning in the strict sense) consisting of only Asparagus and Hemiphylacus.

Calibanus was a former genus that was placed in the Asparagaceae (Nolinoideae subfamily) when the APG III system was introduced.

[18] Both members of the genus have since been transferred to the genus Beaucarnea (also a member of the Asparagaceae (Nolinoideae subfamily)) after molecular phylogenetic research demonstrated a strong phylogenetic relationship with species of Beaucarnea.