Marantaceae

Marantaceae are rhizomous herbaceous plants, they grow in forests of American tropical regions. They are very appreciated in horticulture for their decorative leaves. The leaves are distichous – arranged in a same plane in two opposite series. They are made of a more or less big petiole that is articulated at its top and their limb is often striped or stained with brown or crimson.

The Marantaceae family contains 12 genera gathering circa 400 species. The main genera are Maranta (about 30 species) and Calathea (about 150 species).

At the Lyon Botanical Garden, you can see Marantaceae in the Big Greenhouses, the collection counts about 35 species of the following genera :

• Calathea
• Ctenanthe
• Maranta
• Marantochloa
• Stromanthe
• Thalia
• Thuamatococcus