Araceae

The family of the Araceae includes/understands some 3500 Espèce S divided into 106 kind S:

Aglaodorum, Aglaonema, Alloschemone, Alocasia, Ambrosina, Amorphophallus, Amydrium, Anadendrum, Anaphyllopsis, Anaphyllum, Anchomanes, Anthurium, Anubias, Aridarum, Ariopsis, Arisaema, Arisarum, Arophyton, Arum, Asterostigma, Biarum, Bognera, Bucephalandra, Caladium, Fixed, Callopsis, Carlephyton, Cercestis, Chlorospatha, Colletogyne, Colocasia, Cryptocoryne, Culcasia, Cyrtosperma, Dieffenbachia, Dracontioides, Dracontium, Dracunculus, Eminium, Epipremnum, Filarum, Furtodoa, Gearum, Gonatanthus, Gonatopus, Gorgonidium, Gymnostachys, Hapaline, Helicodiceros, Heteroaridarum, Heteropsis, Holochlamys, Homalomena, Hottarum, Jasarum, Lagenandra, Lasia, Lasimorpha, Lysichiton, Mangonia, Monstera, Montrichardia, Nephthytis, Orontium, Pedicellarum, Peltandra, Philodendron, Phymatarum, Pinellia, Piptospatha, Pistia, Podolasia, Pothoidium, Pothos, Protarum, Pseudodracontium, Pseudohydrosme, Pycnospatha, Remusatia, Raphidophora, Rhodospatha, Scaphispatha, Schismatoglottis, Scindapsus, Spathantheum, Spathicarpa, Spathiphyllum, Stenospermation, Steudnera, Stylochaeton, Symplocarpus, Synandrospadix, Syngonium, Tacca, Taccarum, Theriophonum, Typhonium, Typhonodorum, Ulearum, Urospatha, Urospathella, Xanthosoma, Zamioculcas, Zantedeschia, Zomicarpa, Zomicarpella, Lemna, Spirodela, Wolffia, Wolffiella, Wolffiopsis .

For Sauromatum , to see Typhonium .

They are shrubs or herbaceous, sometimes arborescent plants of the subtropics, tropical, and, of reduced number, moderate areas. One can quote in France the Gouet mottled ( Arum maculatum ). Belongs to this family the Arum Titan ( Amorphophallus titanum ), originating in Sumatra, largest Inflorescence of this family. For the first time in France, a flowering was obtained in July 2003 with the botanical academy of Brest.

Many species of this family are used for their decorative quality in house plants (kinds Anthurium , Dieffenbachia , Monstera ). Little is cultivated at food ends, of which the taro plant of the kind Colocasia , the giant Taro of the marshes (kind Cyrtosperma ) or the Faux philodendron Monstera deliciosa .

Some Species S of the kind Acorus , initially placed in the family of Aracées, was recently withdrawn and placed of it in that of the Acoracées . These plants of uliginal zones are currently regarded as monocotylées the most primitive.

The phylogenetic classification incorporates the Lemnacée S in this family. These very simplified plants, which have only some tiny sheets, even the absence of roots, have a inflorescence reduced to the extreme, which is made up only of two or three flowers, with only one cheesecloth or a pistil.

Characteristics

Aracées have a typical inflorescence, which consists of a spadice (axis of inflorescence), on which tiny flowers are placed, and broad bractée, called spathe. At certain species, like the Anthurium or Zantedeschia aethiopica , the white arum of the florists, the spadice is covered with flowers over all its length. The spathe either is completely spread out ( Anthurium ) or folded up in the shape of horn; its lower portion thus protecting the base from the spadice ( Zantedeschia ).

At other species, like those of the kind Arum , the flowers are present only on the lower part of the spadice and are hidden in a fold of the spathe. When the female flowers are receptive, the upper part of the spadice emits an odor, which attracts the pollinating insects. Certain species as Arum creticum spread a pleasant odor. Others, which are pollinated by the flies or other insects necrophagous, have a more or less pronounced odor of rotting meat or manure. A group of filamentous sterile flowers present at height of a contracting of the spathe functions like a trap door. It lets enter the covered insects of pollen coming from another inflorescence and retains them captive so that they ensure fecundation. The male flowers open then. The filamentous flowers fade, then releasing the covered insects of pollen, which will be able, by visiting a close plant, to ensure a cross pollination.

Various species of aracées, whose spectacular Arum Titan Amorphophallus titanum of Sumatra, giant species present in the greenhouses of some botanical gardens, woke up the imagination of primitive populations and - are sometimes still - were regarded as phallic symbols. Thus Arum maculatum , the arum mottled our areas, is called in English ` cuckoo pint ' - of the Anglo-Saxon ` cucu pintle ', literally ` phallus erectus '. Sauromatum venosum , the horned arum of the south of the Himalayas, is also called ` voodoo lily '. Its tubers, which are sometimes presented to flower dry inside, generate a “diabolic” inflorescence with long spadice purple surrounded by a yellowish spathe with purple spots. This spectacular species spreads a nauseous odor; with the result that one gets rid some often quickly…

References

Brown Refusal, Aroids - Seedlings off the Arum Family (Second Edition), Timber Close, 2000 ISBN 0881924857
Réginald Hulhoven, aracées arums and others of the moderate areas , Gardens of Eden, 17:16 - 23, 2003

Araceae

Characteristics

References

External bonds