Araceae

Zamioculcas Schott

First published in Syn. Aroid.: 71 (1856)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is E. Tropical to S. Africa.

Descriptions

CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011. araceae.e-monocot.org

Habitat
Tropical moist forest, savannas; geophytes on forest floor or in stony ground.
Distribution
E. Trop. to S. Africa.
General Description
HABIT : seasonally dormant or evergreen herbs with short, very thick rhizome. LEAVES : few to many, erect, leaflets deciduous during dormancy leaving persistent petiole. PETIOLE : terete, base greatly thickened and succulent, geniculate at apex, sheath ligulate, free almost to the base, very short, inconspicuous. BLADE : pinnatisect, leaflets oblong-elliptic, thickly coriaceous, capable of rooting at base once shed and forming new plants; primary lateral veins of each leaflet pinnate, running into marginal vein, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : 1-2 in each floral sympodium, held at ground level. PEDUNCLE : very short. SPATHE : entirely persistent to fruiting stage, slightly constricted between tube and blade, green without, whitish within, tube convolute, blade longer than tube, expanded and horizontally reflexed at anthesis. SPADIX : sessile, female zone subcylindric, separated from male zone by short constricted zone bearing sterile flowers, male zone cylindric, ellipsoid to clavate, fertile to apex. FLOWERS : unisexual, perigoniate; tepals 4, in two whorls, decussate. MALE FLOWER : tepals subprismatic, apex thickened, stamens 4, shorter than tepals, filaments free, oblong, thick, somewhat flattened, anthers introrse, connective slender, thecae ovate-ellipsoid, dehiscing by apical slit, pistillode clavate, equalling tepals. POLLEN : extruded in strands, extended monosulcate to perhaps fully zonate, ellipsoid, large (mean 60 µm.), exine thick, fossulate-foveolate, apertural exine verrucate. STERILE FLOWERS : each consisting of 4 tepals surrounding a clavate pistillode. FEMALE FLOWER : tepals strongly thickened apically, staminodes lacking, gynoecium equalling tepals, ovary ovoid, 2-locular, ovules 1 per locule, hemianatropous, funicle short, placenta axile near base of septum, style attenuate, stigma large, discoid-capitate. BERRY : depressed-globose with furrow at septum, 1-2-seeded, surrounded by persistent tepals, white, infructescence ellipsoid. SEED : ellipsoid, testa smooth, brown, raphe conspicuous, embryo large, rich in starch, endosperm nearly absent, present only as a few cell layers at chalazal end.
Diagnostic
Seasonally dormant or evergreen, rhizomatous geophytes; petiole geniculate apically, base greatly thickened and succulent; ultimate leaflets thick, fine venation reticulate; spathe with convolute tube and spreading blade; spadix constricted between male and female zones; flowers unisexual, perigoniate. Differs from Gonatopus in leaf blades pinnatisect ( Gonatopus bi- to quadripinnatifid) and free stamens.
[CATE]

Araceae, S.J. Mayo. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1985

Morphology General Habit
Fleshy seasonally-dormant herbs with stem reduced to a stout, ± rhizomatous underground tuber
Morphology Leaves
Leaves erect, 1–several, subtended by several basal cataphylls; petiole stout, fleshy, pulvinate in upper half, base massively swollen and persistent in dormant phase; blade compound, pinnate; leaflets distant, fleshy, eventually deciduous, propagating vegetatively by formation of tuber at leaflet-base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences 1–2, appearing with leaves, borne at leaf-base near ground-level, subtended by several cataphylls Spathe convolute basally forming short tube, upper part expanded, spreading or reflexed Spadix ± equalling spathe, lower part enclosed by spathe-tube, bearing pistillate flowers, separated from staminate part by short constricted part bearing sterile flowers, upper exposed part bearing staminate flowers
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers unisexual, each with perigon of 4 decussate, subprismatic, subcucullate, fleshy tepals Staminate flower: stamens 4, shorter than tepals; filaments free, oblong, thick, fleshy; anthers with slender connective, dehiscing by lateral slits; central pistillode clavate, stipitate, equalling tepals Pistillate flower: staminodes lacking; pistil ovoid, tapering to short style, equalling tepals; ovary 2-locular; ovules solitary in each locule; placentation axile, near base of septum; stigma discoid
sex Male
Staminate flower: stamens 4, shorter than tepals; filaments free, oblong, thick, fleshy; anthers with slender connective, dehiscing by lateral slits; central pistillode clavate, stipitate, equalling tepals
sex Female
Pistillate flower: staminodes lacking; pistil ovoid, tapering to short style, equalling tepals; ovary 2-locular; ovules solitary in each locule; placentation axile, near base of septum; stigma discoid
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Berries borne in ellipsoid infructescence, 1–2-seeded
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds lacking endosperm (?).
[FTEA]

Sources

  • CATE Araceae

    • Haigh, A., Clark, B., Reynolds, L., Mayo, S.J., Croat, T.B., Lay, L., Boyce, P.C., Mora, M., Bogner, J., Sellaro, M., Wong, S.Y., Kostelac, C., Grayum, M.H., Keating, R.C., Ruckert, G., Naylor, M.F. and Hay, A., CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0