familyAraceae

Orontium

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 324. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5; 151, 1754.

Common names: Golden-club
Etymology: ancient Greek name for plant that grew on River Orontes
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 22.
 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA22 P24 Acorus Orontium Symplocarpus pg 126.jpegOrontium aquaticum
Acorus calamus
Symplocarpus foetidus
John Myers
John Myers
John Myers

Herbs, wetland. Rhizomes vertical. Leaves appearing before flowers, several, emergent or sometimes floating, clustered; petiole longer than blade; blade abaxially paler green, adaxially dark bluish green with distinctive velvety sheen, simple, not peltate, oblongelliptic, base acute to obtuse or sometimes oblique, apex rounded-apiculate or short-acuminate; venation parallel to midvein except near base. Inflorescences: peduncle reclining in fruit, usually equal to or longer than leaves, apex swollen; spathe absent; spadix long-conic. Flowers mostly bisexual, the distal staminate; perianth present. Fruits partially embedded in spadix, green to blue-green. Seed 1, embedded in mucilage. x = 13.

Distribution

e United States, primarily on coastal plain

Discussion

The leaf sheathing the peduncle, which has been interpreted as the spathe in Orontium, is a sympodial leaf and is not equivalent to the spathe of other Araceae (T. S. Ray 1988). Orontium also differs in several other characteristics from the presumably related genera Lysichiton and Symplocarpus and has been segregated as a monogeneric tribe (M. H. Grayum 1990).

Species 1.

Lower Taxa

... more about "Orontium"
swollen;short-acuminate;rounded-apiculate +
Sue A. Thompson +
Linnaeus +
not peltate +  and simple +
distinctive +
acute;obtuse +
compound +  and simple +
green +, dark bluish +  and paler green +
sagittate-cordate;elliptic;obovate or spatulate +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
Golden-club +
underground +
e United States +  and primarily on coastal plain +
ancient Greek name for plant that grew on River Orontes +
pistillate +, staminate +  and sessile +
green +  and blue-green +
connate +  and distinct +
clustered +, alternate +  and solitary +
with sterile flowers +  and naked +
grear1966a +  and klotz1992a +
long-conic +
deciduous +  and persistent +
embedded in spadix +  and sessile +
connate +  and distinct +
discoid +  and capitate +
hemispheric +
Orontium +
floating +  and emergent +