herbs with rhizoms or root climbing lianas or epiphytes
Distribution
Neotropics; lowland and cloud forests
Floral characters
Inflorescence: terminal or lateral spadix, with 2 or more conspicious floral bracts surrounding it; flowers small, in most genera arranged in a chessboard mosaic of solitary females each surrounded by 4 males; flowers unisexual, plants monoecious female flower: P(4) or 4 G_(4); often filiform; white; perianth often vestigial or absent male flower: P4-24 A(6-endless); small perianth with teeth or perianth can be absent
Leaf characters
alternat, spiral ( usually) or distichous; herbaceous or leathery; petiolate; simple or compound; resembling palm leaves; leaf blade bifid or entire or palmately divided
Stipules
absent
Fruit characters
solitary or connate berries with several seeds; fleshy multiple fruit
Glands
absent
Hairs
absent
Latex
present
Odor
female flowers have sweet fragrance
Uses
Caludovica palmata is used to produce the famous Panama Hats and baskets; C. angustofolia is used to build roofs for huts of native people from Peru; in Guayana brooms are made from C. sarmentosa
Chemical characters
None
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
Cyclanthaceae
map: from Harling 1958; fossil Cyclanthus [blue] from Smith et al. 2009
