Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Terrestrial, epipetric, or more often hemiepiphytic herbs, usually glabrous, acaulescent or long–stemmed and vining, often tuberous (when terrestrial) or minute free–floating, glabrous, thalloid plants.

Stems:

Roots: Fibrous root system. In small aquatic plants formerly in Lemnaceae rootless or with 1 to several simple roots arising from lower surface.

Leaves: Leaves various, cataphylls (reduced leaves) often present, or leaves absent to highly modified. Spirally arranged. Blades various. Margins entire or variously lobed or divided. Petioles sheathed at least at base, (rarely petiole absent). Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers usually densely arranged on an elongate axis (spadix), when unisexual, lower flowers pistillate and upper flowers staminate, sometimes with a sterile–staminate portion in between and/or a sterile terminal appendage, inflorescences 1 to numerous per axil or terminal, subtended by a foliaceous, usually distinct bract (the spathe) that is deciduous or persistent in fruit. Flowers small, bisexual (perfect) or unisexual, actinomorphic. Calyx absent or of 4–6 distinct or connate segments. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens 1 to numerous, distinct or connate into synandria. Ovary superior or half-inferior, 1, bottle-shaped, 1-locular, tapering to apex; style short; stigma funnel-shaped.

Fruit: Berries distinct or connate. Seeds 1–4; embryo relatively large; sometimes without a radicle; endosperm absent or scanty.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Aquatic.

Elevation Range: