English: Arum family.
Botany: 107 genera; 3700 species; temperate, tropical; cosmopolitan; rhizomes; leaves sheathing, net veined, simple to lobed or compound, with petiole; flowers in a spadix with spathe, small, unisexual or bisexual; raphides; fruit a berry.
Content: calcium oxalate raphides; cyanogenic glycosides; hydroxytryptophane; sulphur compounds.
Use: food, starch; ornamental.
TaxonomyIn past classifications
Araceae has been included in
Arecales and Cyclanthacae, both families having spadix inflorencences. Lemnaceae, with the aquatics Lemna and Pistia are included in
Araceae.
In the
Apg3 classification Araceae is included in
Alismatales, as the first diverging lineage.
In the
Plant theory Araceae iis split off from
Alismatales.
Araceae is the only
Family in the Order
Arales, in the Subclass
Aridae.