Urospatha

Urospatha
Urospatha sagittifolia [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Alismatales
Family:	Araceae
Subfamily:	Lasioideae
Genus:	Urospatha Schott
Synonyms [2]
UrophyllumK.Koch 1857, illegitimate homonym, not Jack ex Wall. 1824 UrospathellaG.S.Bunting

Urospatha grandis habit

Upper spathe and leaves of Urospatha sagittifolia

Urospatha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae that consists of 11 known species. They are found growing in South America and Central America ^[2] in swamps, wet savannahs, and brackish water. The leaves of the species in this genus are upward pointing and sagittate (arrow-shaped). The inflorescences are quite unique; the spathe is mottled and elongated with a spiral twist at the end. The seeds are distributed by water and have a texture similar to cork that allows them to float. They also quickly germinate in water. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Selected species

• Urospatha angustiloba Engl. - northwestern Brazil
• Urospatha antisylleptica R.E.Schult. - Colombia
• Urospatha caudata (Poepp.) Schott - Peru, northwestern Brazil
• Urospatha edwallii Engl. - southeastern Brazil
• Urospatha friedrichsthalii Schott - Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama
• Urospatha loefgreniana Engl. - central + southern Brazil
• Urospatha meyeri Schott - Suriname
• Urospatha riedeliana Schott - northeastern Brazil
• Urospatha sagittifolia (Rudge) Schott - Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas
• Urospatha somnolenta R.E.Schult. - Colombia
• Urospatha wurdackii (G.S.Bunting) A.Hay - Colombia, Venezuela

References

1. Schott (d. 1865) in Adolf Engler (d. 1930) - "Das Pflanzenreich" heft 48 (1911)
2. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
3. Govaerts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae): 1-560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
4. Forzza, R. C. 2010. Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/2010. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
5. Mayol, M., J. Bogner & P.C. Boyce. 1997. The Genera of Araceae i–xii, 1–370. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
6. Bown, Demi (2000). Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family. Timber Press. ISBN   0-88192-485-7.