Marantaceae

Marantaceae
Maranta leuconeura
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Marantaceae
Genera
Afrocalathea Ataenidia Calathea Cominsia Ctenanthe Donax Halopegia Haumania Hylaeanthe Hypselodelphys Ischnosiphon Koernickanthe Maranta Marantochloa Megaphrynium Monophrynium Monophyllanthe Monotagma Myrosma Phacelophrynium Phrynium Pleiostachya Sanblasia Saranthe Sarcophrynium Schumannianthus Stachyphrynium Stromanthe Thalia Thaumatococcus Trachyphrynium

The Marantaceae or arrowroot family is a family of flowering plants known for its large starchy rhizomes. It is sometimes called the prayer-plant family. Combined morphological and DNA phylogenetic analyses indicate the family originated in Africa, although this is not the center of its extant diversity.^[1]

The most well known species in the family is arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea), a plant of the Caribbean, grown for its easily digestible starch in parts of the Caribbean, Australasia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Several species of genus Calathea are grown as houseplants for their large ornamental leaves, variegated in shades of green, white and pink. Other genera grown for houseplants includes Stromanthe, and Maranta.

Taxonomy

The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, 1998), also recognizes this family, and assigns it to the order Zingiberales in the clade commelinids in the monocots. The family counts a few dozen genera, totaling hundreds of species, found in the tropical areas of the world except in Australia. Called a prayer-plant as it folds up its leaves at night and looks like its praying.

Images

Prayer plant "praying"

Prayer plant not "praying"

References

1. ^ Andersson, L; Chase MW (March 2001). "Phylogeny and classification of Marantaceae". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society (Academic Press) 135 (3): 275–287. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2001.tb01097.x. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marantaceae

Wikispecies has information related to: Marantaceae

• Marantaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. Version: April 27, 2006.
• Marantaceae in the Flora of North America
• Marantaceae in the Flora of China
• NCBI Taxonomy Browser
• links at CSDL
• Maranta (Leuconeura) Common names: Prayer plant, Rabbits tracks
• Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
• Prayer plant, Rabbit's tracks (Maranta leuconeura 'Kerchoviana')