Araceae

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Araceae
Temporal range: 115–0  Ma
Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum RTBG.jpg
Inflorescence of Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Juss. [2]
Subfamilies
Snake lily (Dracunculus vulgaris) in Crete 044 Dracunculus vulgaris at Akrotiri peninsula, Crete, Greece.jpg
Snake lily ( Dracunculus vulgaris ) in Crete
Arrowleaf elephant ear (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), clearly showing the characteristic spadix and spathe Xanthosoma sagittifolium at Kadavoor.jpg
Arrowleaf elephant ear ( Xanthosoma sagittifolium ), clearly showing the characteristic spadix and spathe

The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). Also known as the arum family, members are often colloquially known as aroids. This family of 114 genera and about 3,750 known species [3] is most diverse in the New World tropics, although also distributed in the Old World tropics and northern temperate regions.

Contents

Description

Within the Araceae, species are often rhizomatous or tuberous; many are epiphytic, creeping lianas or vining plants, and the leaves and tissues of the entire plant nearly always contains irritating calcium oxalate crystals or raphides, in varying degrees. [4] [5] The foliage can vary considerably from species to species. The majority of species produce an inflorescence consisting of a spadix (which some compare to a corn cob, in appearance), which is nearly always surrounded by a modified leaf bract called a spathe. [6] In monoecious aroids, possessing separate male and female flowers (but with both flowers present on one plant), the spadix is usually organized with female flowers towards the bottom and male flowers at the top. In aroids with perfect flowers, the stigma is no longer receptive when the pollen is released, thus preventing self-fertilization. Some species are dioecious. [7]

Many plants in this family are thermogenic (heat-producing). [8] Their flowers can reach up to 45 °C, even if the surrounding air temperature is much lower. One reason for this unusually high temperature is to attract insects (usually beetles) to pollinate the plant, rewarding the beetles with heat energy, in addition to preventing tissue damage in colder regions. Some examples of thermogenic aroids are Symplocarpus foetidus (eastern skunk-cabbage), Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum), Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (elephant-foot yam), Helicodiceros muscivorus (dead-horse arum lily), and Sauromatum venosum (voodoo lily). Some species, such as A. titanum and H. muscivorus, give off a very pungent smell akin to rotten meat, which serves to attract flies for pollination. The heat produced by the plant helps to convey the scent further.

Toxicity

Within the Araceae family, the majority of species produce calcium oxalate crystals in the form of raphides. While it is possible to consume the cooked foliage of certain genera, such as Alocasia , Colocasia , and Xanthosoma , as well as the ripened fruits of Monstera deliciosa , these raphide compounds are irritating (and even dangerous) for many animals, including humans. Consumption of raw aroid vegetation may cause edema, vesicle formation or dysphagia, accompanied by a painful stinging and burning in the mouth and throat, with symptoms occurring for up to two weeks, depending on amount consumed. In smaller amounts, patients report feeling a mild to extreme sensation of sand or glass in the esophagus and mouth, lasting up to 48 hours. [9] Additionally, in heavier instances of ingestion, anaphylactic shock could cause swelling of the throat, restricting breathing. The genus Dieffenbachia is famously known as "dumb-cane" for this reason; however, given the presence of irritating compounds across the family, this nickname may be applied to virtually any genera within the Araceae.

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

Phylogeny based on the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. [10]

Araceae

Gymnostachydoideae Bogner & Nicolson 1991

Orontioideae Brown ex Müller 1860

Lemnoideae

Pothoideae Engler 1876

Monsteroideae Engler 1876

Lasioideae Engler 1876

Zamioculcadoideae Bogner & Hesse 2005

Aroideae Arnott 1832

Classification

One of the earliest observations of species in the Araceae was conducted by Theophrastus in his work Enquiry into Plants . [11] The Araceae were not recognized as a distinct group of plants until the 16th century. In 1789, Antoine Laurent de Jussieu classified all climbing aroids as Pothos and all terrestrial aroids as either Arum or Dracontium in his book Familles des Plantes.[ citation needed ]

The first major system of classification for the family was produced by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott, who published Genera Aroidearum in 1858 and Prodromus Systematis Aroidearum in 1860. Schott's system was based on floral characteristics, and used a narrow conception of a genus. Adolf Engler produced a classification in 1876, which was steadily refined up to 1920. His system is significantly different from Schott's, being based more on vegetative characters and anatomy. The two systems were to some extent rivals, with Engler's having more adherents before the advent of molecular phylogenetics brought new approaches. [12]

A comprehensive taxonomy of Araceae was published by Mayo et al. in 1997. [13]

Modern studies based on gene sequences show the Araceae (including the Lemnoideae, duckweeds) to be monophyletic, and the first diverging group within the Alismatales. [14] The APG III system of 2009 recognizes the family, including the genera formerly segregated in the Lemnaceae. [15] The sinking of the Lemnaceae into the Araceae was not immediately universally accepted. For example, the 2010 New Flora of the British Isles used a paraphyletic Araceae and a separate Lemnaceae. [16] However Lemna and its allies were incorporated in Araceae in the 2019 edition. [17] : 872  A comprehensive genomic study of Spirodela polyrhiza was published in February 2014. [18]

Genera

The cuckoo-pint or lords and ladies (Arum maculatum) is a common arum in British woodlands. Arum maculatum 0 700.jpg
The cuckoo-pint or lords and ladies ( Arum maculatum ) is a common arum in British woodlands.
Arisaema triphyllum Arisaema triphyllum.jpg
Arisaema triphyllum

143 genera are accepted within the Araceae. [19] Anthurium , Epipremnum , Monstera , Philodendron and Zantedeschia are some of the most well-known genera of the family, as are the Colocasia (taro, arbi) and Xanthosoma ('elephant-ear', ‘ape), which are both cultivated for human consumption. The largest unbranched inflorescence in the world is that of the arum Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum). [20]

The Araceae includes many ornamental genera of global economic importance: Aglaonema , Alocasia, Anthurium, Caladium , Dieffenbachia, Epipremnum, Homalomena, Monstera, Nephthytis , Rhaphidophora , Scindapsus , Spathiphyllum , Syngonium , and Zamioculcas , to name but a few. The aquatic genera Anubias , Bucephalandra and Cryptocoryne are highly prized and cultivated aquarium plants; other, recently-described genera, such as the Lagenandra of India, are gradually becoming more known in the aquascaping world. [21] Philodendron is an important genus in the ecosystems of neotropical rainforests, and is widely used in home and interior decorating. Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage) is a common eastern North American species. An interesting peculiarity is that this family includes the largest unbranched inflorescence, that of the titan arum, [20] often erroneously called the "largest flower", and the smallest flowering plant and smallest fruit, in the duckweed, Wolffia . [22]

Fossil record

The family Araceae has one of the oldest fossil record among angiosperms, with fossil forms first appearing during the Early Cretaceous epoch. [1] [23] Notable fossils from the Early Cretaceous include: Spixiarum kipea, [24] an aroid from the late Aptian of Brazil; [1] Orontiophyllum ferreri, an aroid leaf from the late Albian of Spain; [1] and Turolospadix bogneri, an aroid spadix from the late Albian of Spain. [1]

Food plants

Food plants in the family Araceae include Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (elephant foot yam), Colocasia esculenta (kochu, taro, dasheen), Xanthosoma (cocoyam, tannia), Typhonium trilobatum and Monstera deliciosa (Mexican breadfruit). While the aroids are little traded, and overlooked by plant breeders to the extent that the Crop Trust calls them "orphan crops", they are widely grown and are important in subsistence agriculture and in local markets. The main food product is the corm, which is high in starch; leaves and flowers also find culinary use. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alismatales</span> Order of herbaceous flowering plants of marshy and aquatic habitats

The Alismatales (alismatids) are an order of flowering plants including about 4,500 species. Plants assigned to this order are mostly tropical or aquatic. Some grow in fresh water, some in marine habitats. Perhaps the most important food crop in the order is the taro plant, Colocasia esculenta.

<i>Amorphophallus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Amorphophallus is a large genus of some 200 tropical and subtropical tuberous herbaceous plants from the Arum family (Araceae), native to Asia, Africa, Australia and various oceanic islands. A few species are edible as "famine foods" after careful preparation to remove irritating chemicals. The genus includes the Titan arum of Indonesia, which has the largest inflorescence of any plant in the genus, and is also known as the 'corpse flower' for the pungent odour it produces during its flowering period, which can take up to seven years of growth before it occurs.

<i>Acorus</i> Genus of aquatic plants

Acorus is a genus of monocot flowering plants. This genus was once placed within the family Araceae (aroids), but more recent classifications place it in its own family Acoraceae and order Acorales, of which it is the sole genus of the oldest surviving line of monocots. Some older studies indicated that it was placed in a lineage, that also includes aroids (Araceae), Tofieldiaceae, and several families of aquatic monocots. However, modern phylogenetic studies demonstrate that Acorus is sister to all other monocots. Common names include calamus and sweet flag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spadix (botany)</span> Type of inflorescence

In botany, a spadix is a type of inflorescence having small flowers borne on a fleshy stem. Spadices are typical of the family Araceae, the arums or aroids. The spadix is typically surrounded by a leaf-like curved bract known as a spathe. For example, the "flower" of the well known Anthurium spp. is a typical spadix with a large colorful spathe.

<i>Philodendron</i> Genus of flowering plants

Philodendron is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. As of June 2024, the Plants of the World Online accepted 621 species; other sources accept different numbers. Regardless of number of species, the genus is the second-largest member of the family Araceae, after genus Anthurium. Taxonomically, the genus Philodendron is still poorly known, with many undescribed species. Many are grown as ornamental and indoor plants. The name derives from the Greek words philo- 'love, affection' and dendron 'tree'. The generic name, Philodendron, is often used as the English name.

<i>Xanthosoma</i> Genus of plants

Xanthosoma is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food staple of tropical regions, known variously as malanga, otoy, otoe, cocoyam, tannia, tannier, yautía, macabo, ocumo, macal, taioba, dasheen, quequisque, ʻape and as Singapore taro. Many other species, including especially Xanthosoma roseum, are used as ornamental plants; in popular horticultural literature these species may be known as ‘ape due to resemblance to the true Polynesian ʻape, Alocasia macrorrhizos, or as elephant ear from visual resemblance of the leaf to an elephant's ear. Sometimes the latter name is also applied to members in the closely related genera Caladium, Colocasia (taro), and Alocasia.

<i>Anthurium</i> Genus of plants

Anthurium is a genus of about 1,000 species of flowering plants, the largest genus of the arum family, Araceae. General common names include anthurium, tailflower, flamingo flower, pigtail plant, and laceleaf.

<i>Lysichiton</i> Genus of flowering plants

Lysichiton is a genus in the family Araceae. These plants are known commonly as skunk cabbage or less often as swamp lantern. The spelling Lysichitum is also found. The genus has two species, one found in north-east Asia, the other in north-west America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoophily</span> Pollination by animals

Zoophily, or zoogamy, is a form of pollination whereby pollen is transferred by animals, usually by invertebrates but in some cases vertebrates, particularly birds and bats, but also by other animals. Zoophilous species frequently have evolved mechanisms to make themselves more appealing to the particular type of pollinator, e.g. brightly colored or scented flowers, nectar, and appealing shapes and patterns. These plant-animal relationships are often mutually beneficial because of the food source provided in exchange for pollination.

<i>Dieffenbachia seguine</i> Species of flowering plant

Dieffenbachia seguine, widely known as dumbcane, as well as leopard lily or tuftroot, is a species of Dieffenbachia, a flowering aroid plant of the family Araceae. It is native to the neotropical realm of the Americas, from extreme southern Mexico and Belize and much of Central America, as well as the northern half of South America. It is found on many Caribbean islands and territories, including Cuba, Grand Bahama, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Hispaniola, Îles des Saintes, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Kitts and Trinidad and Tobago. D. seguine is also found on the Galápagos islands of Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal, where it was likely introduced by humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrion flower</span> Flowers that smell like rotting flesh

Carrion flowers, also known as corpse flowers or stinking flowers, are mimetic flowers that emit an odor that smells like rotting flesh. Apart from the scent, carrion flowers often display additional characteristics that contribute to the mimesis of a decaying corpse. These include their specific coloration, the presence of setae and orifice-like flower architecture. Carrion flowers attract mostly scavenging flies and beetles as pollinators. Some species may trap the insects temporarily to ensure the gathering and transfer of pollen.

<i>Arum</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae

Arum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. Frequently called arum lilies, they are not closely related to the true lilies Lilium. Plants in closely related Zantedeschia are also called "arum lilies".

<i>Amorphophallus paeoniifolius</i> Staple root food in southeast Asia

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, the elephant foot yam or whitespot giant arum, is a tropical plant native to Island Southeast Asia. It is cultivated for its edible tubers in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Madagascar, New Guinea, and the Pacific islands. Because of its production potential and popularity as a vegetable in various cuisines, it can be raised as a cash crop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aroideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

Aroideae is a subfamily of flowering plants in the family Araceae. It is the largest subfamily in Araceae and consists of about 72 different genera, and 2,300 species. Many Aroideae have spiny pollen grains without a sporopollenin outer exine layer and lacking an aperture.

<i>Orontium aquaticum</i> Species of flowering plant

Orontium aquaticum, sometimes called golden-club, floating arum, never-wets or tawkin, is a species of flowering plants in the family Araceae. It is the single living species in the genus Orontium, which also contains several extinct species described from fossils. O. aquaticum is endemic to the eastern United States and is found growing in ponds, streams, and shallow lakes. It prefers an acidic environment. The leaves are pointed and oval with a water repellent surface. The inflorescence is most notable for having an extremely small almost indistinguishable sheath surrounding the spadix. Very early in the flowering this green sheath withers away leaving only the spadix.

<i>Amorphophallus titanum</i> Species of flowering plant in the arum family Araceae

Amorphophallus titanum, the titan arum, is a flowering plant in the family Araceae. It has the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The inflorescence of the talipot palm, Corypha umbraculifera, is larger, but it is branched rather than unbranched. A. titanum is endemic to rainforests on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemnoideae</span> Subfamily of aquatic plants

Lemnoideae is a subfamily of flowering aquatic plants, known as duckweeds, water lentils, or water lenses. They float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water and wetlands. Also known as bayroot, they arose from within the arum or aroid family (Araceae), so often are classified as the subfamily Lemnoideae within the family Araceae. Other classifications, particularly those created prior to the end of the twentieth century, place them as a separate family, Lemnaceae.

Amorphophallus gigas is a plant in the Arum, or Calla Lily, Family, (Araceae) native to Sumatra. It is also known as Amorphophallus brooksii. It resembles its near relative Amorphophallus titanum in having a very large spadix surrounded by a very large spathe. This inflorescence can be up to 11 ft 4 in in height. The tuber, a corm is second in size only to A. titanum at up to 154 pounds in weight.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Sender, L.M., Doyle, J.A., Upchurch, J.R. Jr., Villanueva-Amadoz, U. and Diez J.B. 2019. Leaf and inflorescence evidence for near-basal Araceae and an unexpected diversity of other monocots from the late Early Cretaceous of Spain. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, vol. 17, p. 1093–1126.
  2. ↑ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009), "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 161 (2): 105–121, doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x , hdl: 10654/18083
  3. ↑ Christenhusz, M. J. M. & Byng, J. W. (2016). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. 261 (3). Magnolia Press: 201–217. doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 .
  4. ↑ "Araceae in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". Efloras.org. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "Araceae". The Encyclopedia of House Plants. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "Araceae - Flowering Plant Families, UH Botany". University of Hawaii. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Araceae" (PDF). Iowa State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 May 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  8. ↑ Korotkova, Nadja; Barthlott, Wilhelm (2009). "On the thermogenesis of the Titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum)". Plant Signaling & Behavior. 4 (11): 1096–1098. doi: 10.4161/psb.4.11.9872 . PMC   2819525 . PMID   19838070.
  9. ↑ Watson, John T.; Jones, Roderick C.; Siston, Alicia M.; Diaz, Pamela S.; Gerber, Susan I.; Crowe, John B.; Satzger, R. Duane (2005). "Outbreak of Food-borne Illness Associated with Plant Material Containing Raphides". Clinical Toxicology. 43 (1): 17–21. doi:10.1081/CLT-44721. PMID   15732442. S2CID   388923.
  10. ↑ Stevens, P.F. (2001). "Araceae". Angiosperm Phylogeny Website . 13. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  11. ↑ Bown, Deni (2000). Aroids: plants of the Arum family. Timber Press. p. 46. ISBN   0881924857.
  12. ↑ Grayum, Michael H. (1990), "Evolution and Phylogeny of the Araceae", Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 77 (4): 628–697, doi:10.2307/2399668, JSTOR   2399668
  13. ↑ Mayo, S. J.; Bogner, J.; Boyce, P. C. (1997). The genera of Araceae. London: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN   1-900347-22-9. OCLC   60140655.
  14. ↑ Stevens, P.F. "Araceae". Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.
  15. ↑ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x . hdl: 10654/18083 .
  16. ↑ Stace, C.A. (2010), New Flora of the British Isles (Third ed.), Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, ISBN   978-0-521-70772-5 pp. 830–834.
  17. ↑ Stace, C. A. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles (Fourth ed.). Middlewood Green, Suffolk, U.K.: C & M Floristics. ISBN   978-1-5272-2630-2.
  18. ↑ Wang, W.; Haberer, G.; Gundlach, H.; Gläßer, C.; Nussbaumer, T.; Luo, M. C.; Lomsadze, A.; Borodovsky, M.; Kerstetter, R. A.; Shanklin, J.; Byrant, D. W.; Mockler, T. C.; Appenroth, K. J.; Grimwood, J.; Jenkins, J.; Chow, J.; Choi, C.; Adam, C.; Cao, X.-H.; Fuchs, J.; Schubert, I.; Rokhsar, D.; Schmutz, J.; Michael, T. P.; Mayer, K. F. X.; Messing, J (2014). "The Spirodela polyrhiza genome reveals insights into its neotenous reduction fast growth and aquatic lifestyle". Nature Communications. 5: 3311. Bibcode:2014NatCo...5.3311W. doi:10.1038/ncomms4311. PMC   3948053 . PMID   24548928.
  19. ↑ Araceae Juss. Plants of the World Online . Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  20. 1 2 "Titan Arum FAQs | Biological Sciences Greenhouse". Ohio State University . 2012-05-16. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "Aquarium Cryptocoryne Plants". Aquarium Fish International . Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "What is the smallest flower in the world?". Library of Congress . Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  23. ↑ Nauheimer, L., Metzler, D. and Renner, S.S. 2012. Global history of the ancient monocot family Araceae inferred with models accounting for past continental positions and previous ranges based on fossils. New Phytologist, vol. 195, p. 938-950.
  24. ↑ Coiffard, C., Mohr, B.A.R. and Bernardes de Oliveira, M.E.C. 2013. The Early Cretaceous aroid, Spixiarum kipea gen. et sp. nov., and implications on early dispersal and ecology of basal monocots. Taxon, vol. 62. p. 997-1008.
  25. ↑ "Aroids. Colocasia Xanthosoma". The Crop Trust. Retrieved 2019-04-06.

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