Dracontium is a genus of flowering plants similar to those of Amorphophallus. Unlike Amorphophallus which is found in the Old World, this genus has a New World distribution and is native to South America, Central America, southern Mexico, and the West Indies.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Familieserts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae): 1-560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Forzza, R. C. 2010. Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil . Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Dracontium species can be distinguished from related genera by their inflorescence, which is smaller and unisexual. The plant has a large caudexlike tuber similar to that of Amorphophallus, but rounder, and with no central and circular scar mark. When Dracontium plants begin to flower, the tuber swells and smoothens.Zhu, G. h. & T. B. Croat. 2004. Revision of Dracontium (Araceae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 91(4): 593–667
Species More than 20 Dracontium species have been described:
Dracontium amazonense G.H.Zhu & Croat - Venezuela, Peru, northwestern Brazil Dracontium angustispathum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Colombia, Peru Dracontium asperispathum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Colombia, Peru, Ecuador Dracontium asperum K. Koch - Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Windward Islands, Venezuela, Peru, northwestern Brazil, the Guianas Dracontium bogneri G.H.Zhu & Croat - Brazil Dracontium croatii G.H.Zhu - Carchi and Pichincha Provinces in Ecuador Dracontium dubium Kunth - Venezuela, Guyana Dracontium gigas (Seem.) Engl. - Nicaragua, Costa Rica Dracontium grandispathum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Ecuador Dracontium grayumianum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Panama, Colombia Dracontium guianense G.H.Zhu & Croat - French Guiana Dracontium iquitense E.C.Morgan & J.A.Sperling - Loreto region of eastern Peru Dracontium longipes Engl. - Peru, Acre State of Brazil Dracontium margaretae Bogner - Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay Dracontium nivosum (Lem.) G.H.Zhu - Pará, Maranhão Dracontium peruvianum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Peru, northwestern Brazil Dracontium pittieri Engl. - Costa Rica Dracontium plowmanii G.H.Zhu & Croat - Peru Dracontium polyphyllum L. - Pará, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela, Peru, Puerto Rico Dracontium prancei G.H.Zhu & Croat - Amazonas and Roraima States of northwestern Brazil Dracontium purdieanum (Schott) Engl. - Colombia, Venezuela Dracontium soconuscum Matuda - Chiapas, Costa Rica, Panama Dracontium spruceanum (Schott) G.H.Zhu - Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, northwestern Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname Dracontium ulei K.Krause - Acre State in western Brazil; Pando region of northern Bolivia
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