Araceae
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.
| Arum family Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous (70 mya)[1] – Recent
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| Flower of Xanthosoma sagittifolium | |
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| Family: | Araceae |
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See text. | |
Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially known as aroid. This family of 107 genera and over 3700 species is most diverse in the New World tropics, although also distributed in the Old World tropics and north temperate regions.
These plants often have rhizomes or tubers with calcium oxalate crystals or 'raphides' and commonly with milky sap. The leaves are alternate, simple or compound, petiolate, sometimes very large, and usually with a sheathing base.
Some genera of araceae include:
Araceae Media
Snake lily (Dracunculus vulgaris) in Crete
Arrowleaf elephant ear (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), clearly showing the characteristic spadix and spathe
The cuckoo-pint or lords and ladies (Arum maculatum) is a common arum in British woodlands.
References
- ↑ Bogner, Josef; Johnson, Kirk R.; Kvacek, Zlatko; Upchurch, Garland R. Jr (2007). "New fossil leaves of Araceae from the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene of western North America". Zitteliana. 47: 133–147.