Plants belonging to the Liliaceae family have been the topic of research in many phytochemical and pharmacological laboratories because they contain structurally complex and biologically fascinating steroidal alkaloids. This review, citing 153 references, summarises the chemistry, bioactivity and geographical diversity of steroidal alkaloids isolated from Veratrum and Fritillaria species, so as to illustrate the chemo-diversity and biological significance of these alkaloids, along with their geographical distribution where this is discernible.