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Marantaceae  R. Br., nom. cons.

pronounced: ma-ran-TAY-see-eye

the arrowroot family

arrowrootThe name of the type genus Maranta commemorates a mid-16th century Venetian botanist, Bartolommeo Maranti. The plants of this family usually have starchy underground rhizomes or tubers. The leaves are arranged in 2 rows, the petioles with a sheathing base. The leaf blades may be narrow or broad, and they have pinnate veins running parallel to the midrib. The petiole may be winged, and swollen into a pulvinus at the base. The inflorescence is a spike or a panicle, enclosed by spathe-like bracts. The flowers are bisexual, small and often inconspicuous. The fruit may be fleshy, or a loculicidal capsule.

Calathea ornata - Pin-stripe Plant

Stromanthe sanguinea - Triostar

Stromanthe thalia (syn.) - Triostar

Photograph courtesy of the Consejo Belize Web Site

Page last updated 25th March 2018