Asian Marantaceae - an overview

The authors present an overview of the Asian members of the family Marantaceae, including a brief introduction to their taxonomic history, important morphological characters, and phylogenetic relationships, followed by a brief discussion of each genus including its phyletic status, delimitation, distribution and diversity. A checklist to Asian Marantaceae is appended. The study is based on a number of recently completed or ongoing studies, including taxonomic accounts for northern Borneo and Thailand, respectively, phylogenetic analyses based on molecular data, field studies in Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, and extensive studies of available herbarium material. The Marantaceae are small to moderate-sized herbs growing in lowland and montane rainforests. According to their current estimate 9 genera with c. 50 species occur in Asia, ranging from India eastwards to the South-Pacific islands (Vanuatu). Distinct centres of diversity occur in Thailand-Indochina, the Philippines, Borneo, and E Malesia (Sulawesi to New Guinea). The majority of the Asian members, including the genera Donax, Schumannianthus (in part), Phrynium, Phacelophrynium and Monophrynium, appear to belong to a single clade, while the two genera Halopegia and Stachyphrynium belong to separate clades with African and American affinities, respectively. Schumannianthus virgatus from S. India and Sri Lanka appears both from morphological and molecular evidence to be most closely related to Halopegia. Within the main Asian clade, the genera Phrynium, Phacelophrynium and Monophrynium form a single well supported clade comprising more than one half of all Asian Marantaceae species. Within this complex, current generic delimitations based on floral characters seem to be in strong need of revision.