Araceae
The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). Also ...
, occurring from tropical Africa eastwards through
Malesia
Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. The ...
and
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
to the Western Pacific. The genus consists of approximately 100 species.
Description
This is a genus of evergreen, robust, climbing plants. The flowers are bisexual, lacking a perigone. The
spathe
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
is shed after flowering. The
ovule
In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the fe ...
s number eight or more and are superposed on two (rarely 3) parietal placentas of the
ovary
The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...
. The flowers produce many, ellipsoid, straight
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
s with a brittle and smooth outer coat (testa).
These are hemiepiphytes, plants capable of beginning life as a seed and sending roots to the soil, or beginning as a terrestrial plant that climbs a tree and then sends roots back to the soil. In rare cases they are terrestrial rheophytes (plants that grow in fast-flowing water).
Their
bast fiber
Bast fibre (also called phloem fibre or skin fibre) is plant fibre collected from the phloem (the "inner bark", sometimes called "skin") or bast surrounding the stem of certain dicotyledonous plants. It supports the conductive cells of the phlo ...
s have typically abundant, long and slender trichosclereids, merging with the fibers of the
sclerenchyma
The ground tissue of plants includes all tissues that are neither Epidermis (botany), dermal nor Vascular tissue, vascular. It can be divided into three types based on the nature of the cell walls.
# Parenchyma cells have thin primary walls and ...
. If the blade of the leaf is torn, many hairs become apparent. The leaf stalks bend abruptly at their top. The leaf margin is entire. The leaves are
pinnatifid
Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and i ...
to pinnatisect (cut with deep opposite lobing). The leaf venation is parallel (with veins running parallel for the length of the leaf), pinnate (one mid-vein with smaller veins branching off laterally) to reticulate (feather-veined).
Chemistry
Six compounds extracted from the dried leaves and stems of '' Rhaphidophora decursiva'' have been shown to possess activity against one
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
l parasite, ''
Plasmodium falciparum
''Plasmodium falciparum'' is a Unicellular organism, unicellular protozoan parasite of humans, and the deadliest species of ''Plasmodium'' that causes malaria in humans. The parasite is transmitted through the bite of a female ''Anopheles'' mosqu ...
''. Polysyphorin and rhaphidecurperoxin showed the strongest antimalarial activity, while rhaphidecursinol A, rhaphidecursinol B, grandisin, and epigrandisin were less active. Rhaphidecursinol A and rhaphidecursinol B were determined to be
neolignans
The lignans are a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants, particularly seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The name derives from the Latin word for "wood". Lignans are precursors to phytoestrogens. They may play a role ...
, a major class of
phytoestrogens
A phytoestrogen is a plant-derived xenoestrogen (see estrogen) not generated within the endocrine system, but consumed by eating plants or manufactured foods. Also called a "dietary estrogen", it is a diverse group of naturally occurring nonstero ...
chloroplast
A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant and algal cells. The photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight, converts it, and stores it in ...
DNA sequence data (trnL-F) has shown that ''Rhaphidophora'' and ''Epipremnum'' are
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
, forming three informal groups with other genera of the paraphyletic tribe ''Monstereae''. This may result in taxonomic changes in this genus. The genera ''Rhaphidophora'', ''Epipremnum'', and ''Monstera'' are poorly differentiated.
One cultivar, ''Rhaphidophora excelsa'' `Exotica' has been recognized.Aroid cultivar registry
Rhaphidophora hayi
''Rhaphidophora hayi'' is a plant of the family Araceae
The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometime ...
Rhaphidophora tetrasperma
''Rhaphidophora tetrasperma'', the mini monstera, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae, genus '' Rhaphidophora''. It is native to Southern Thailand and to Malaysia.Rhaphidophora teysmanniana'' Engl. & K.Krause in H.G.A.Engler, Pflanzenr., IV, 23B: 35 (1908).
# '' Rhaphidophora todayensis'' K.Krause, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 45: 658 (1911).
# '' Rhaphidophora tonkinensis'' Engl. & K.Krause in H.G.A.Engler, Pflanzenr., IV, 23B: 34 (1908).
# '' Rhaphidophora typha'' P.C.Boyce, Gard. Bull. Singapore 57: 211 (2005).
# '' Rhaphidophora ustulata'' P.C.Boyce, Gard. Bull. Singapore 52: 176 (2000).
# '' Rhaphidophora versteegii'' Engl. & K.Krause, Nova Guinea 8: 248 (1910).
# '' Rhaphidophora waria'' P.C.Boyce, Gard. Bull. Singapore 53: 174 (2001).
''
Epipremnum aureum
''Epipremnum aureum'' is a species in the arum family Araceae, native to Mo'orea in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The species is a popular houseplant in temperate regions but has also become naturalised in tropical and sub-tropical fore ...
*http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/home.do was used for this information
*more information can be found on: https://web.archive.org/web/20080425004749/http://scratchpad.cate-araceae.org/ and http://www.cate-araceae.org/
* Check the Complet Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma Care Guide
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2666273
Araceae generaTaxonomy articles created by Polbot