Marantaceae

Marantaceae
Maranta leuconeura
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Marantaceae
R.Br.[1]
Type genus
Maranta
Genera

See text

The Marantaceae are a family, the arrowroot family, or the prayer plant family, of flowering plants consisting of 31 genera and around 530 species, defining it as one of the most species-rich families in its order.[2][3] Species of this family are found in lowland tropical forests of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The majority (80%) of the species are found in the American tropics, followed by Asian (11%) and African (9%) tropics.[2] They are commonly called the prayer-plant family and are also known for their unique secondary pollination presentation.

  1. ^ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x. hdl:10654/18083.
  2. ^ a b Kennedy, H. (2000). “Diversification in pollination mechanisms in the Marantaceae”. Pp. 335-343 in Monocots: systematics and evolution, eds. K. L. Wilson and D. A. Morrison. Melbourne: CSIRO
  3. ^ Ley, A. C., and Claßen-Bockhoff, R. (2011). “Evolution in African Marantaceae - evidence from phylogenetic, ecological and morphological studies”. Syst. Bot. 36, 277–290. doi: 10.1600/036364411X569480