Taxon Profile:

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Family:

Araceae (Magnoliophyta)

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Common Names:

Arum Family

Description:

Number of genera: 106

Number of species: 2500-3000

Description (from PLANTAE): Perennial herbs, small to very large, terrestrial, geophytic, epiphytic, or climbing, with watery or milky pungent sap, typically growing in wet areas, mostly in the tropics and subtropics.

Taxonomic notes (from PLANTAE): The affinities of the family continue to be debated. They have been linked to the palms as a derivative of Cyclanthaceae (Engler, 1920) or as a sister group to the palms derived from Liliaceous ancestors (Bessey, 1915). Dahlgren and coworkers (Dahlgren and Clifford, 1982; Dahlgren et al., 1985) reject the palm association, arguing on the basis of shared morphological characters, that the Arales (Araceae-Lemnaceae) are most closely related to the Alismatiflorae. Recent molecular data support this view (Chase et al., 1995). Morpholigically, Pistia (Pistiaceae) and the genera of Lemnaceae, are easily distinguished from the Araceae sensu stricto and the view taken here follows that of Takhtajan (1997). Molecular data, however, complicate the picture. Recent chloroplast DNA analysis (French et al., 1995) showed the Lemnaceae nested among genera of the Araceae. Based on the molecular data, and the likeliehood that the Lemnaceae are derived from Pistia or some Araceous stock of close affinity, a strict phylogenist would combine the Pistiaceae and Lemnaceae with Araceae. The genus Acorus, traditionally placed in the Araceae, is placed in the Acoraceae of the Acorales. The subfamilial classification adopted here is based on recent analyses combining molecular and morphological data. These data support the division of the family into two subfamilies: Gymnostachyoideae (bisexual flowers) and Aroideae (unisexual flowers)

Distribution (from PLANTAE): The genera are concentrated in the tropics of southeast Asia and America. The majority of genera are endemic to continental regions, with a few wide ranging such as the circumboreal Calla. Seven mostly monotypic genera are indigenous to the United States: Lysichiton, Orontium, Peltandra, Symplocarpus, Acrous, Arisema, and Calla. Worldwide, the largest genera are Anthurium (800), Philodendron (500), Arisema (170), Amorphophallus (150), Schismatoglotis (120) and Homalomene (110) which account for over 2/3 of the species of the family; the first two genera make up nearly half the family

Economic uses (from PLANTAE): Three genera produce starchy corms used as food in much of the tropics, particurlarly the Pacific (Alocasia, Colocasia, Xanthosoma). Many genera are grown for ornament, being particularly prized for their evergreen foliage (Anthurium, Caladium, Colocasia, Dieffenbachia, Monstera, Philodendron, Pothos, Spathiphyllum, Syngonium) or for various permutations of the spathe (Anthurium and Zantedeschia).

Chemistry notes (from PLANTAE): Analysis of chemical markers might contribute toward a better understanding of the taxonomy of the Araceae sensu lato. Calcium oxalate cyrstals are generally present. Several groups of compounds are reported: saponins, proanthocyanidins, cinnamic acids, flavonoids, cyanogenic glucosides, alkaloids and amines. Irritant compounds include protocatechuic aldehyde, homogentisic acid and their glycosides (Alocasia, Colocasia, Pinellia) and allergenic 5-alkyl- and 5-alkenylresorcinols (Philodendron) (Mayo, et al., 1998). Thermogenisis is reported for Lysichiton and Symplocarpus.

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Araceae: [Book] Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.