Maranta

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Zingiberales

Familia: Marantaceae
Genus: Maranta
Species: M. amazonica – M. amplifolia – M. anderssoniana – M. arundinacea – M. bracteosa – M. burchellii – M. cordata – M. coriacea – M. cristata – M. cyclophylla – M. divaricata – M. foliosa – M. friedrichsthaliana – M. furcata – M. gibba – M. gigantea – M. hatschbachiana – M. humilis – M. incrassata – M. leuconeura – M. lindmanii – M. linearis – M. longiflora – M. noctiflora – M. parvifolia – M. phrynioides – M. pluriflora – M. pohliana – M. polystachya – M. protracta – M. pulchra – M. rugosa – M. ruiziana – M. rupicola – M. sobolifera – M. sophiana – M. splendida – M. tuberculata – M. zingiberina

Names in synonymy: M. argentea – M. bicolor – M. chantrieri – M. iconifera – M. splendida – M. vittata

Unplaced name: M. conspicua
Source(s) of checklist:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Maranta in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Dec 28. Reference page.

Name

Maranta L. Sp. Pl. 1: 2 (1753); Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 2 (1754).

Type species: Maranta arundinacea L., Sp. Pl. 1: 2 (1753) (by monotypy)

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus I: 2. Reference page.
Linnaeus, C. 1754. Genera Plantarum, ed. 5: 2. Reference page.

Additional references

Braga, J.M.A. 2014. New combinations in the genus Goeppertia (Marantaceae). Phytotaxa 167(1): 143–144. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.167.1.13 Open accessReference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Maranta in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Dec 28. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2015. Maranta. Published online. Accessed: May 2 2015.
Tropicos.org 2015. Maranta. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2015 May 2.

Vernacular names
English: Prayer Plant
suomi: Nukkumatit
italiano: Maranta
português: urubá

Maranta is a genus of flowering plants in the family Marantaceae, native to tropical Central and South America and the West Indies.[2][3] Maranta was named for Bartolomeo Maranta, an Italian physician and botanist of the sixteenth century.

About 40-50 species are currently recognized.[1] They all have rhizomes and naturally form perennial clumps. The crowded oval, evergreen leaves are undivided with sheathing stalks. The leaves are flat by day and folded up as the day comes to an end, hence the common name "prayer plant" which attaches to the genus and its species - notably M. leuconeura.[4] The flowers are small with three petals and two larger petal-like staminodes.

Cultivation

Maranta arundinacea is cultivated to produce the edible starch arrowroot. Some species such as Maranta leuconeura (prayer plant) and M. arundinacea are grown as common houseplants in a warmish house or conservatory environment. They can be propagated through cuttings (2 - 3 leaves) or by root division.
Species

Species include:[5]

Maranta amazonica L.Andersson
Maranta amplifolia K.Schum. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.)
Maranta anderssoniana Yosh.-Arns, Mayo & M.Alves
Maranta arundinacea L. (arrowroot, type species)
Maranta bracteosa Petersen
Maranta burchellii K.Schum. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.),
Maranta cordata Körn.
Maranta coriacea S.Vieira & V.C.Souza
Maranta cristata Nees & Mart.
Maranta depressa E.Morren
Maranta divaricata Roscoe
Maranta foliosa Körn.
Maranta friedrichsthaliana Körn.
Maranta furcata Nees & Mart.
Maranta gibba Sm. in A.Rees
Maranta hatschbachiana Yosh.-Arns, Mayo & M.Alves
Maranta humilis Aubl.
Maranta incrassata L.Andersson
Maranta leuconeura E.Morren (prayer plant)
Maranta lietzei (E.Morren) C.H.Nelson
Maranta lindmanii L.Andersson
Maranta linearis L.Andersson
Maranta longiflora S.Vieira & V.C.Souza
Maranta longipes K.Schum. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.)
Maranta longiscapa S.Moore
Maranta noctiflora Regel & Körn.
Maranta parvifolia Petersen
Maranta phrynioides Körn.
Maranta pleiostachys K.Schum. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.)
Maranta pluriflora (Petersen) K.Schum. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.)
Maranta pohliana Körn.
Maranta protracta Miq.
Maranta pulchra S.Vieira & V.C.Souza
Maranta purpurea S.Vieira & V.C.Souza
Maranta pycnostachys K.Schum. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.)
Maranta rugosa J.M.A.Braga & S.Vieira
Maranta ruiziana Körn.
Maranta rupicola L.Andersson
Maranta sobolifera L.Andersson
Maranta subterranea J.M.A.Braga
Maranta tuberculata L.Andersson
Maranta zingiberina L.Andersson

References

"World Checklist of Selected Plant Families".
Maranta in Flora of North America
Maranta in Flora of China
RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
"World Checklist of Selected Plant Species, general search".