Dracontium

Dracontium is a genus of flowering plants similar to those of Amorphophallus. Unlike Amorphophallus which is found in the Old World, this genus has a New World distribution and is native to South America, Central America, southern Mexico, and the West Indies.[2][3][4]

Dracontium
1880 Botanical illustration of Dracontium spruceanum[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Subfamily: Lasioideae
Genus: Dracontium
Blume ex Decne.
Species

See text

Synonyms[2]
  • Eutereia Raf.
  • Echidnium Schott
  • Ophione Schott
  • Chersydrium Schott
  • Godwinia Seem.

Dracontium species can be distinguished from related genera by their inflorescence, which is smaller and unisexual.[5] The plant has a large tuber similar to that of Amorphophallus, but rounder, and with no central and circular scar mark. When Dracontium plants begin to flower, the tuber swells and smoothens.[5][6]

Species

More than 20 Dracontium species have been described:[7]

  • Dracontium amazonense G.H.Zhu & Croat - Venezuela, Peru, northwestern Brazil
  • Dracontium angustispathum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Colombia, Peru
  • Dracontium asperispathum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Colombia, Peru, Ecuador
  • Dracontium asperum K. Koch - Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Windward Islands, Venezuela, Peru, northwestern Brazil, the Guianas
  • Dracontium bogneri G.H.Zhu & Croat - Brazil
  • Dracontium croatii G.H.Zhu - Carchi and Pichincha Provinces in Ecuador
  • Dracontium dubium Kunth - Venezuela, Guyana
  • Dracontium gigas (Seem.) Engl. - Nicaragua, Costa Rica
  • Dracontium grandispathum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Ecuador
  • Dracontium grayumianum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Panama, Colombia
  • Dracontium guianense G.H.Zhu & Croat - French Guiana
  • Dracontium iquitense E.C.Morgan & J.A.Sperling - Loreto region of eastern Peru
  • Dracontium longipes Engl. - Peru, Acre State of Brazil
  • Dracontium margaretae Bogner - Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay
  • Dracontium nivosum (Lem.) G.H.Zhu - Pará, Maranhão
  • Dracontium peruvianum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Peru, northwestern Brazil
  • Dracontium pittieri Engl. - Costa Rica
  • Dracontium plowmanii G.H.Zhu & Croat - Peru
  • Dracontium polyphyllum L. - Pará, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela, Peru, Puerto Rico
  • Dracontium prancei G.H.Zhu & Croat - Amazonas and Roraima States of northwestern Brazil
  • Dracontium purdieanum (Schott) Engl. - Colombia, Venezuela
  • Dracontium soconuscum Matuda - Chiapas, Costa Rica, Panama
  • Dracontium spruceanum (Schott) G.H.Zhu - Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, northwestern Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname
  • Dracontium ulei K.Krause - Acre State in western Brazil; Pando region of northern Bolivia

References
  1. Fitch (d. 1927) - Curtis's Botanical Magazine v.106 [ser.3:v.36] (1880)
  2. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. erts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae): 1-560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  4. Forzza, R. C. 2010. Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-08-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link). Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
  5. Bown, Demi (2000). Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family. Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-485-7.
  6. Zhu, G. h. & T. B. Croat. 2004. Revision of Dracontium (Araceae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 91(4): 593–667
  7. "Dracontium". The Plant List. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden. 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2013.


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