Arrowroots

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Arrowroots
Ctenanthe setosa surrounded by other species in the family

Ctenanthe setosa surrounded by other species in the family

Systematics
Subdivision : Seed plants (Spermatophytina)
Class : Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
Monocots
Commelinids
Order : Gingery (Zingiberales)
Family : Arrowroots
Scientific name
Marantaceae
R.Br.

The arrowroot family (Marantaceae) are a family of plants in the order of the ginger-like (Zingiberales). The family contains around 31 genera with around 525 to 550 species. Some species are popular tropical ornamental plants , including indoor plants , but some species are very robust and shade-tolerant.

description

Calathea roseopicta : At first the leaves of many Marantaceae are rolled up like a bag.
Arrowroot ( Maranta leuconeura ),
one of the many species with decorative leaves and relatively inconspicuous flowers

Habit and leaves

They are perennial herbaceous plants , in very different sizes and growth forms. They often form rhizomes . Many of the species thrive in the shady rainforest undergrowth. Some species are climbing plants, others are hanging plants or ground cover. The stems are simple or branched. Often parts of the plant are hairy.

The alternate and basal or distributed more or less two-line leaves on the stem are divided into leaf sheath, petiole and leaf blade. A leaf stalk is rarely missing. The open leaf sheaths often overlap and support the stem. Ligules are absent (distinguishing feature of families within the order). Characteristic of the Marantaceae family is the pulvinus (plural: Pulvini), which is a thickened point in the lower part of the leaf that can cause movement. Here are joint pads between the leaf stalks and the base of the blade, so that the leaf blade is always aligned with the light during the course of the day. Specialized cells control leaf movement. The pulvini often differ from the petiole in shape and color. The simple, smooth-edged leaf blades are initially rolled up like a bag before they unfold. About 20% of the species have decoratively patterned leaf blades. The leaf blades have a prominent midrib with a branch of air channels and sigmoid , i.e. slightly S-shaped, lateral nerves that are almost parallel to them and are connected in a network-like manner by secondary nerves of the second order.

Blossom of Maranta leuconeura

Inflorescences and flowers

One or more inflorescences are formed for each above-ground stalk; they can be terminal or lateral; rarely do the inflorescences arise directly from the rhizome. There is a more or less long inflorescence stem. The composite, head- to spike-like total inflorescences contain two to many partial inflorescences; usually two flowers each (with Monotagma and Monophrynium the flowers are single) are grouped together to form partial inflorescences and each over a bract . The two uppermost flowers of a partial inflorescence are enantiomorphic to each other , so are mirror images. The bracts are intensely colored and decorative in some species.

The hermaphrodite flowers are asymmetrical and threefold. The bracts are divided into sepals and petals . The three sepals are usually free or rarely ( megaphyrnium ) fused at their base. The three petals are fused with the staminodes and the stylus at their base. There are originally two circles with three stamens each. All three of the outer circle and the two sides of the inner circle are reduced to staminodes. One of the staminodes of the inner circle is fleshy and calloused, the other is hooded; in the middle or almost at the end they have one, in Thalia two finger- or flap-shaped appendages. Some of the outer staminodes may be missing, but they are usually widened in the shape of a corolla. Only one stamen of the inner circle is fertile with an anthers containing only one bisporangiate theca. Secondary pollen presentation takes place , that is, the pollen is deposited on the stylus and from there attached to the pollinators by an explosive curling of the stylus , with pollen being taken over by the pollinator at the same time. If the mechanism is triggered by non-pollinating visitors, the flower will fall off. Three carpels have become an under constant ovary grown. Rarely does each of the three, usually only one of the ovary chambers contain only one ovule . The stylus, including the cup-shaped stigma, is not enveloped by the stamen of the fertile stamen, but by the hood-shaped staminodium (differentiation from other families of the order).

There are septal nectaries at the top of the ovary . Pollination occurs by insects ( entomophilia ). The pollination mechanism is highly specialized. The stylus is kept in tension by the staminodes until they move when the pollinator touches them, and then the pollen is thrown away explosively.

Fruits and seeds

The mostly fleshy, rarely dry capsule fruits , berries or nuts usually contain only one, rarely up to three seeds. The sepals can often still be seen on the fruits.

The seeds contain starch and usually have an aril . Perisperm is abundant . Endosperm is scarce or absent. The embryo is curved. In the testa there are phytomelans that color the seed surface black. Although there are not very many observations, it can be assumed that most species are spread by ants, since the vast majority of species have an aril ( myrmecochory ). Thalia's nutty fruits are spread through water.

Chromosome numbers and ingredients

The chromosome numbers are n = 4-14 or sometimes more.

Calcium oxalate crystals are stored in parts of plants, but not in the form of raphids (in contrast to other families of the order). It is silicate accumulated . Starch is stored in the seeds and sometimes in the rhizomes. Thaumatin , which is contained in the arillus , is about 1,600 times sweeter than sucrose .

Habitus and inflorescence of Calathea crotalifera
Ctenanthe oppenheimiana
Goeppertia brasiliensis
Habitus and inflorescence of Goeppertia cylindrica
Goeppertia insignis (Syn .: Calathea lancifolia )
Inflorescence of Goeppertia majestica (Syn .: Calathea princeps )
Phrynium pubinerve
Stromanthe stromanthoides
Thalia dealbata

Systematics and distribution

The family name Marantaceae was published twice: in 1814 by Robert Brown and in 1888 by Petersen. The botanical name of the Maranta type genus honors the 18th century Italian botanist Bartolomeo Maranta .

They are common all over the tropics, except Australia. About half of the species thrive in the Neotropic and Palaeotropic .

The starting point of family evolution is likely to be Africa. Fossil finds of the family exist from the Eocene .

Within the order of the Zingiberales, the Marantaceae are most closely related to the neotropical Cannaceae , to which the taxa were also placed earlier. Karl Heinrich Koch recognized in 1857 that the Marantaceae are an independent family. For example, leaf veins and secondary pollen presentation are the same in both families.

The delimitation of the genera is difficult and so species have been shifted from one to the other. This requires a large number of synonyms . The family contains about 30 to 31 genera with about (400 to) 525 to 550 species:

  • Afrocalathea K Schum. : It contains only one type:
    • Afrocalathea rhizantha K.Schum : The home is the area between southern Nigeria and western tropical central Africa.
  • Ataenidia Gagnep. : It contains only one type:
  • Korbmaranten ( Calathea G.Mey. ): Including Thymocarpus Nicolson et al. with around 300 species it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The species thrive in the humid Neotropic.
  • Cominsia Hemsl. : With about three species on the Moluccas , New Guinea and the Solomon Islands . The species become the genus Phrynium Willd in R. Govaerts . posed.
  • Ctenanthe Eichler : The 15 or so species thrive in the humid Neotropic, especially in southeastern Brazil .
  • Donax Lour. : The wide distribution area of ​​the approximately one to three species extends in Southeast Asia from eastern India eastwards to the New Hebrides and via China northwards to Orchid Island , which belongs to Taiwan.
  • Goeppertia Nees : With around 241 species according to R. Govaerts, it is probably the largest genus in the family. They are found in Mexico and in tropical America.
  • Halopegia K. Schum. : The three or four species occur in West Africa, the Congo Basin , Madagascar and Southeast Asia.
  • Haumania J.Léonard : The two to five species occur in tropical Africa, Japan and New Guinea.
  • Hylaeanthe A.MEJonker & Jonker : The five or six species thrive in the humid Neotropic.
  • Hypselodelphys (K.Schum.) Milne-Redh. : It is perhaps a subgenus of Trachyphrynium. The eight or so species occur in tropical Africa.
  • Indianthus Suksathan & Borchs. : It includes only one type:
    • Indianthus virgatus (Roxb.) Suksathan & Borchs. (Syn .: Phrynium virgatum Roxb. ): It occurs in southern India, Sri Lanka and the Andamans.
  • Isnosiphon grain . : The approximately 36 species are common in Central and South America .
  • Koernickanthe L. Andersson : It contains only one species:
  • Arrowroot ( Maranta L. ): The approximately 42 species thrive in the humid Neotropis. Especially in this genus there are a large number of synonyms and the horticultural terms are varied.
  • Marantochloa Brongn. ex Gris : The distribution area of ​​the 15 to 20 species extends from West Africa, the Congo Basin, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania , via Réunion to the Comoros .
  • Megaphrynium Milne-Redh. : The distribution area of ​​the four or five species extends from West Africa over the Congo Basin and Sudan to Uganda.
  • Monophrynium K. Schum. : The three or so species are found in the Philippines . They areplacedon Phrynium by R. Govaerts.
  • Monophyllanthe K.Schum. : The only two species occur in the Guyanas , in Colombia and in northern Brazil.
  • Monotagma K.Schum. : The approximately 39 species are widespread in humid areas of South America and Central America.
  • Myrosma L. f. : It includes only one type:
  • Phacelophrynium K.Schum. : The roughly six species occur in Thailand and in the phytogeographic region of Malesia excluding New Guinea. They are placed by R. Govaerts in the genus Phrynium .
  • Phrynium Willd. : The approximately 20–38 species occur from southern China to tropical Asia and the islands of the southwestern Pacific.
  • Pleiostachya K. Shum . : The three or four species are distributed from Central America over the Pacific lowlands of South America to Ecuador .
  • Sanblasia L.Andersson : it contains only one type:
  • Saranthe (Regel & Körn.) Eichler : There are about ten species in eastern and southern Brazil and Paraguay.
  • Sarcophrynium K.Schum. : The approximately six species occur from tropical West Africa to Uganda .
  • Schumannianthus Gagnep. : The only two species occur from the eastern Himalayas to the Philippines.
  • Stachyphrynium K.Schum. : The ten or so species occur in India, Sri Lanka to China and western Malesia.
  • Stromanthe Sond. : The total range of the approximately 20 species is the humid Neotropic, but centers of biodiversity are Central America and southeastern Brazil.
  • Thalia L .: The approximately six species have their main distribution area in seasonally humid areas of South America. The entire distribution area of ​​the genus extends from the United States to South America and also includes tropical Africa. By Thalia geniculata L. there are large populations in Africa, which might represent a separate species.
  • Thaumatococcus Benth. : It contains only two types:
  • Trachyphrynium Benth. : There is only one type:

use

Selected forms of Calathea crocata belong to the few species in the family that are cultivated as ornamental plants due to their decorative inflorescences.

The sweetener thaumatin is obtained from the katamfe ( Thaumatococcus danielli ) . The most important food plant of the family is Maranta arundinacea , which is cultivated in the entire tropical belt for the production of "arrowroot meal" = "arrowroot starch".

A large number of species from some genera are used in many varieties as ornamental plants in tropical parks and gardens, but also as indoor plants and cut greenery. The shade tolerance of some species from the undergrowth of tropical forests in particular is advantageous for using them as indoor plants. Usually the colorful, very decorative leaves are the reason for using them as ornamental plants, rarely the inflorescences. A suitable location as a houseplant is light or partially shaded, in direct sunlight the strikingly patterned leaves lose their color and fade, and the entire plant can die. It is important to approximate the climatic conditions of their original origin. A high humidity should be guaranteed, with some species up to 80% and the ambient temperature should not fall below 18 degrees. The decoratively patterned leaves of the basket marante were previously used by the indigenous people of Brazil to make baskets. Hence her name.

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Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Delin Wu, Helen Kennedy in Flora of China. Volume 24, 2000: Marantaceae. P. 379 - online with the same text as the printed work. In: Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven (Ed.): Flora of China. Volume 24 - Flagellariaceae through Marantaceae. Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis 2000. ISBN 0-915279-83-5 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Helen Kennedy: Marantaceae - online with the same text as the printed work. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Ed.): Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 22 - Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in part), and Zingiberidae. Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 2000. ISBN 0-19-513729-9 .
  3. ↑ Maria Thurner: Biology of the Marantaceae (arrowroot family) especially Calathea sp. Bachelor thesis, Univ. Vienna, 2003, online (PDF), at the University of Vienna, accessed on May 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ Robert Hegnauer: Chemotaxonomy of plants. Volume 7, 1986, p. 731.
  5. ↑ Marantaceae in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Marantaceae. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  7. ^ Lennart Andersson: The neotropical genera of Marantaceae. Circumscription and relationships. In: Nordic Journal of Botany. Volume 26, Issue 2, 2008, pp. 218–245.
  8. ↑ Susanne Bickel-Sandkötter: Useful plants and their ingredients. Quelle & Meyer Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2001, ISBN 3-494-02252-6 .

Web links

Commons : Arrowroot Family (Marantaceae)  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files