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Arums

Araceae (family), “Arum Family”

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The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the arum family, members are often colloquially known as aroids. This family of 114 genera and about 3750 known species is most diverse in the New World tropics, although also distributed in the Old World tropics and northern temperate regions. Many species display very decorative leaves and flowers and they are widely used for gardening as indoor plants and also outdoor plants under the tropics. Some temperate species are also very popular in Mediterranean and moderately cold temperate gardens such as Zantedeschia. One of the largest…