Araceae

Stenospermation Schott

First published in Gen. Aroid.: 70 (1858)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Central & S. Tropical America.

Descriptions

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

Habitat
Tropical humid forest, especially cloud forests; epiphytes or terrestrial on forest floor.
General Description
HABIT : epiphytic, climbing hemiepiphytic or terrestrial evergreen herbs, stem rather densely leaved, erect, often elongated. LEAVES : many. PETIOLE : geniculate apically, sheath long. BLADE : oblong-elliptic or lanceolate, oblique, often rather thick, venation usually obscured; midrib narrowly sulcate above, primary lateral veins weakly or not differentiated, pinnate, running into margin, secondary laterals parallel-pinnate, higher order venation inconspicuous. INFLORESCENCE : solitary, often nodding. PEDUNCLE : relatively long. SPATHE : convolute, gaping at anthesis, boat-shaped or opening widely, white, caducous. SPADIX : usually stipitate, rarely sessile, cylindric. FLOWERS : bisexual, perigone absent. STAMENS : 4, filaments oblong, flattened, connective slender, thecae ovoid-ellipsoid, dehiscing by longitudinal slit. POLLEN : extruded in strands, fully zonate or inaperturate, hamburger-shaped or subspheroidal, medium-sized (mean 42 µm., range 30-58 µm.), exine psilate to shallowly and sparsely foveolate, fossulate-foveolate, verrucate or baculate. GYNOECIUM : compressed obconic to cylindric, ovary (1-) 2-locular, ovules 4-many per locule, anatropous, arranged in 2 rows, funicles long, placenta basal, stylar region well-developed, usually broader than ovary and truncate, stigma elliptic to punctiform. BERRY : obovoid, truncate apically, locules 3-many-seeded, white, orange ( S. ulei) to reddish orange, or yellow. SEED : clavate to ellipsoid, raphe prominent, testa thickish, smooth, embryo axile, elongate, endosperm copious.
Distribution
C. & S. Trop. America.
Diagnostic
Evergreen epiphytes or terrestrials, stem often elongated; trichosclereids abundant; petiole geniculate apically; leaf blades entire, fine venation parallel-pinnate, often obscured; inflorescence often nodding; spathe deciduous after flowering; flowers bisexual, perigone absent; seeds less than 3 mm long; endosperm present. Differs from Rhodospatha in basal placentation, seeds fusiform to claviform; and leaf blades thickly coriaceous.
[CATE]

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. 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 2025. 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