Arrowroot family
Marantaceae
クズウコン科
A family distributed on tropical forest floors in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Starch from arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) is used as a food source. Popular as foliage plants (Calathea, Maranta) for their beautifully patterned leaves.
Key Characteristics
- ●Many species have patterned (variegated) leaves, important as foliage plants
- ●Leaves move between day and night (nyctinasty / sleep movements)
- ●Only one fertile stamen; others are petaloid
- ●Flowers are zygomorphic
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Herb / Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Zygomorphic
Petal count
6 petals
Ovary position
Inferior
Stamen count
3-4
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Zingiberales > Marantaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (about 60–50 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Evolution of nyctinastic leaf movements (herbivore avoidance and water conservation)
- ・Acquisition of explosive pollination mechanism (spring-loaded stamen trigger)
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