Prayer Plants, Bananas, Can ZINGIBERALES - PART 3 Zingiberales has been our plant theme in the past two issues (June / September) covering familes such as Heliconiaceae, Zingerberaceae and Costaceae. This issue we will conclude this theme with Marantaceae, Lowiaceae, Strelitziaceae, Musaceae and Cannaceae. MARANTACEAE – the Prayer Plants Calathea orbicularis
This is the second largest family in the order with 30 genera and 450-500 species. Genera and their distributions include: Maranta, Calathea, Stromanthe, Ctenanthe and Pleiostachya from Central to South America; Donax, Phrynium and Stachyphrynium from Asia and Melanesia; and Ataenidia, Marantochloa, Thalia and Thaumatococcus from Africa. These plants are extremely popular for the home garden, offering a great variety of contrasting coloured and patterned foliage for those shady areas. They also come in a variety of sizes from the small Calathea micans, a miniature ground cover from Peru, to the large Calathea lutea or Havana Cigar – both can be seen in the Gardens.
Ctenanthe burle-marxii
Many of these plants have dark maroon coloration underneath their leaves enabling them to utilise any light that may filter through a dark rainforest canopy onto the forest floor. LOWIACEAE Probably the most unusual family in this order is the single genus Orchidantha, with five to eight species, found in South-east Asia and Pacific Islands. This is the most poorly known genus of this order in terms of botany and horticulture, but well worth a visit to the Botanic Gardens to see them when in flower. Visitors often ask about the ginger-type plant with its orchid-type flowers (as the genus name also suggests), and they have a smell all of their own! STRELITZIACEAE – the Birds-of-Paradise
Maranta leuconeura
Stromanthe sanguinea ‘Tricolour’ 10
There are three genera with seven species of the family, restricted to southern Africa, Madagascar and South America. Unique features are the woody trunk (absent in some Strelitzia), the birdlike appearance of the inflorescence and flowers, and the woody, capsular fruit.
Calathea crotalifera
Orchidantha maxillarioides
