Another plus are their unusual blooms, a spadix flanked by a spathe. Botanical gobbledy-#? Think the flamingo flower (
Anthurium) or peace lily (
Spathiphyllum) so beloved of supermarket flower shops. The somewhat phallic looking central spadix is actually a tightly compressed collection of both male and female flowers. Lacking suitable pollinators indoors, these may last for several weeks. They are partially protected by the funnel-shaped spathe, which may be white as in peace lilies, red or otherwise brightly coloured as in the flamingo flower or, especially in hardy outdoor types, somewhat virulently striped green and purple.
Many of the most prized indoor selections are, however, raised for the foliage not their floral display which is frequently dismissed botanically as insignificant.
There are perhaps as many as 500 species of the famous
Philodendron, all originating from Tropical America where they flourish as the kind of vigorous lianas that delighted Tarzan on another continent. ‘Imbe’ is the Brazilian Indian name for most of these climbing philodendrons but beware – according to medical authorities they are the most likely houseplant to cause poisoning in children and pets.
Often known as the split-leaf philodendron,
Monstera deliciosa from southern Mexico and Guatemala also goes by such names as Swiss cheese plant or ceriman. The leaves of mature plants may be three feet long, perforated and split, supposedly to withstand hurricanes. Cut off the long, cord-like aerial roots before they can fasten onto walls or furnishings. In its native habitat it forms an attractive edible fruit.
The last of these common vines used be labeled Pothos but now, more correctly has been tabled by taxonomists as
Eripremnum aureum. Native to the Solomon Islands in the western Pacific while a welcome houseplant it is now known as Devil’s Ivy throughout Southeast Asia. Like its cousin
Monstera, it may latch onto walls and furnishings if not strictly controlled.
A massive woody vine from the American tropics, various
Syngonium may occasionally be found in stores. They need an enormous space to really flourish and even commercial conservatories are unlikely to suffice. They are therefore, usually relative short-lived juveniles in cultivation but nevertheless attractive ones if caveat is kept in mind.
The American tropics abound in Araceae and surely one of the most easily recognized is the dumb cane, or
Dieffenbachia not, incidentally, named after a defunct Canadian lawyer and politician by one J. F. Dieffenbach, a gardener at the Schonbrumn in Austria during the early 19th century. There are about two dozen species and many cultivars of what is technically an herbaceous perennial that, well tended, can grow to resemble a dwarf tree. As with many of its cousins, the stems and leaves contain sharp crystals. If bitten into these penetrate the soft tissues of the mouth and throat causing pain and extreme cases swelling that leads to suffocation, hence the common name.
Some common names, however, may be misleading. True, Chinese evergreen extends over much of Southeast Asia up into southern China and, yes, it is “evergreen” but so are many tropical plants. Botanically they are
Aglaeonema and perhaps the commercial growers fond ‘Aggie’ might be better. Three or so around the base of a larger indoor plant create an attractive groundcover.
Several species of Araceae have been labelled ‘Elephant Ears.’ Perhaps the least deserving is Caladium, which originated in northern South America but has become so naturalized throughout the tropic that its botanical name is the Latinized version of the Malay plant name ‘kaladi.’ There are a number of cultivars and hybrids all with attractively coloured, modestly-sized foliage that looks well either in individual pots for indoor cultivation or outside combined with other plants in containers.
Then there are the melodiously named trio of
Alocasia, Colocasia and Xanthosoma. Their enormous leaves live up to their billing as ‘elephant ears,’ adding an exotic tropical touch wherever they are located. Best grown in large containers or even tubs outside over summer, they need to be overwintered indoors. Plant in a rich soil mix with good drainage and locate in full sun to the lightest shade – claims that they will grow in deep shade should be treated with suspicion. Versions of these are the staple vegetable ‘taro’ tuber of the tropics, pounded into ‘poi’ in Polynesia, sometimes found whole in North American supermarkets from which plants may be raised.
While these are definitely moisture-loving plants, floating freely on the water surface is the preference of
Pistia stratiotes, the water lettuce. A favourite of water gardeners in cooler climes, it is a notorious weed in the tropics and subtropics, blocking waterways large and small wherever it is introduced.
Although some 90 percent of this fascinating family comes from distinctly warmer climes, a few flourish in the temperate zone. One such is
Arisaema triphyllum, the Jack-in-the-Pulpit of eastern North American woodland edges, easily over looked in spring when flowering at the same time as adders’ tongue or trout lily () but more prominent in late summer with its bright red berries gleaming on the forest floor.
Old-world cousins are the true arums, extending from Western Europe through temperate Asia, such as the familiar cuckoopint that is also known as lords and ladies from Europe. More exotic forms are often available from specialized suppliers but at prices that befit their rarer status.
Closer to home but perhaps only for the gardener looking for something very different is the native North American skunk cabbage, suggestively named
Symplocarpus foetidus. A denizen of swampy marshes, it emerges in spring from those frigid margins by creating a warm growing shoot from a reaction with starches in its root. The scent, while not as overpoweringly powerful as
Amorphallus, is definitely ‘skunky.’ For some reason this plant became popular with gardeners in England’s northwestern Lake District. Escaping domesticity, it now may be found happily ensconced on the margins of streams and rivers there.
Finally at the end of the long list of Araceae comes Zantedeschia, the calla lily of tropical and southern Africa. The classic form,
Z. aethiopica, flourishes in moist spots along highways as common as its counterpart the dandelion is to North American travellers. So common, in fact, that early European colonists in South Africa utilized the tubers as food for their swine, knowing them dismissively as ‘pig lilies.’ At the price they sell for today doubtlessly that will never be their fate.
“My feet are small for the same reason my waist is small – things don’t grow in the shade” proclaimed Dolly Parton. Ah, but the Araceae do inside and outdoors, scrambling over support, floating in water even underfoot perhaps proclaiming their presence with a certain scent like no other.
