TACCACEAE
Morphological description
Tuberous herbs.
Leaves
Leaves usually crowded, variously dissected.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence umbellate, involucrate.
Flowers
Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic; perianth 6-lobed, stamens 6, ovary inferior. Usually very dark coloured.
Fruit
Fruit a 6-ribbed berry.
Seed
Seed.
Different from: Amaryllidaceae: not tuberous. - Araceae (Amorphophallus): leaves and inflorescence not appearing together, flowers unisexual.
Distribution: The only genus of the family, Tacca, is pantropical.
Notes: In times of famine, flour is made out of the corms. Some species are (potential) ornamentals.
Literature: E. Drenth, Fl. Males. I, 7 (1976) 806-819.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Tacca 92, 99.
Illustrations: Fig. 172. Tacca celebica Koord. (Taccaceae). a. Rootstock of young specimen with one leaf and one petiole; b. mature leaf; c. inflorescence. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 7 (1976) 818, fig. 1.
Image in PhytoImages for Taccaceae