Araceae

Plant Sex: Monoecious, dioecious or flowers bisexual.

Flowers: Actinomorphic, very reduced (perianth absent). Flowers often sunken into spadix.

Inflorescence: A fleshy axis called a SPADIX. Often surrounded by a leafy bract, the SPATHE.

Fruits: Berries. Often colorful and tightly clustered on the spadix. Fruits in Monstera are edible.

Habit: Herbs and vines, some very robust. Many tropical epiphytes.

Leaves: Alternate, simple or compound; may be HETEROBLASTIC. Sap may be watery or milky (with latex). RAPHIDES (calcium oxalate crystals) cause poisoning.

Examples:
Arisaema

A. triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit). Habit of plant. Carpellate (left) and staminate (right) inflorescences. Staminate inflorescences in L.S. Carpellate inflorescences in L.S. Staminate and carpellate flowers, the latter also in L.S.
A. dracontium (green dragon). A robust specimen growing at Touch of Nature. Inflorescence. Infructescence.
A. sikokianum. A beautiful Asian species in cultivation at Missouri Bot. Gardens.

Symplocarpos

S. foetidus (skunk cabbage). Inflorescences emerging from soil early in spring. Inflorescences. Inflorescence cut in L.S. Leaves of plant emerging later in the spring.

Monstera

M. deliciosa (swiss cheese plant)
M. tenuis. Plant with adult and juvenile leaves on tree trunk. Closer view of juvenile leaves.

Philodendron

P. selloum (philodendron). Large specimen growing on tree in Puerto Rico. Leaf scars on stem from plant in SIUC PLB greenhouse.

Spathiphilum

S. sp. (spathe flower). Habit. Close-up view of inflorescence.

Anthurium

A. acubeanum (anthurium). Plant with inflorescence.
A. hookeri. Plant with inflorescence. We have this species in the SIUC PLB greenhouse!

Dieffenbachia

D. picta (dumb cane)

Xanthosoma

X. robustum (yautia)

Pistia

P. stratioides (water lettuce). Habit of the plant. Inflorescence cut in L.S.

Lemna

L. minor (duckweed). Close-up view of the tiny plant thallus. And if you think these are small, try Wolffia columbiana that is even smaller!

Amorphophallus

A. titanum (titan arum). Spathe 2.4 m tall! Photo of plant in flower with human for scale. Plant flowering in cultivation. Close-up of inflorescence showing male flowers above and female flowers below. Close-up of carpellate flowers.

SIUC / College of Science / Elements of Plant Systematics
URL: http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/PLB304/Lecture24Liliales/Araceae.html
Last updated: 29-Mar-08 / dln