Urospatha

Scientific name

Urospatha Schott

Common names

none

Family

Araceae

Similar genera

Colocasia, Cyrtosperma, Lasia

Native distribution

South America

Species cultivated

Urospatha sagittifolia (Rudge) Schott

Adventive distribution

none

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

emergent emergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
plant in shallow water

Brief description

Perennial. Rhizomerhizome:
(n) an underground stem, usually growing horizontally, from which both roots and shoots emerge directly; the thick, above-ground stem of ferns
tuberous or spongy, horizontal. Leaves in apicalapical:
(adj) of the apex
rosette; petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
elongate; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
large, without spines or fenestrations, sagittatesagittate:
(adj) shaped like an arrowhead
, venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
palmatepalmate:
(adj) (of leaves or venation) with lobes, leaflets, divisions or veins originating from the same point
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a spadixspadix:
(n) a spike of small flowers borne on a thick, fleshy axis
enclosed in twisted spathespathe:
(n) a large bract or bracts subtending and often enclosing an inflorescence
on elongate pedunclepeduncle:
(n) the stalk of a flower cluster or inflorescence
. Flowers bisexualbisexual:
(adj) having both male and female sexual reproductive structures on one individual or in one flower
. Fruit fleshy, producing numerous red berries. Dispersal by seed.

Natural habitat

swamps, pools, and stream banks

Additional comments

A genus containing about 11 species, only Urospatha sagittifolia is commonly cultivated for ponds, usually in warmer regions as this plant is cold sensitive.