Marantaceae

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Marantaceae >

Read about Marantaceae in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Marantaceae (from the genus Maranta, named for Maranti, a Venetian botanist and physician of the 16th century). Arrowroot Family. Fig. 13. Herbs with rhizomes: leaves mostly basal, with an articulation at the summit of the petiole; blade linear to oval, pinnately parallel-veined: inflorescence usually surrounded by spathe-like bracts; flowers bisexual, irregular, epigynous; perianth of 6 parts, plainly differentiated into calyx and corolla, the latter somewhat irregular; one stamen of the inner set fertile, petaloid, with lateral anther, the two others of the inner whorl transformed into enlarged staminodia; usually 1 or 2 of the outer whorl also present as petaloid staminodia; ovary inferior, 3-celled, rarely 1-2-celled; ovule 1 in each cell; style flat and twisted or lobed: fruit a capsule or berry; seeds with perisperm, and aril; embryo curved. Marantaceae has 12 genera and about 160 species, of damp situations in the tropics, mostly American. The largest genus is Calathea with 60 species. The family is related to the Cannaceae, Zingiberaceae, and Musaceae. The joint at the summit of the petiole, the type of stamen-irregularity, the 1-seeded cells of the ovary, and the curved embryo are distinctive. The rhizome of Maranta arundinacea is cultivated in tropical America, and furnishes the maranta arrowroot of commerce; rhizomes of some other species are eaten. Many species are ornamental, mostly for conservatory. Five or 6 genera are in cultivation in America, as Calathea (Rattlesnake Plant); Maranta; Phrynium; Stromanthe; Thalia.CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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