2 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



[VOL. 10 



In 1852, Carl Koch, impressed by the truncate, cuplike perianth of a plant 

 then cultivated as "Pothos cannaefolia" and "Monstera cannaefolia," desig- 

 nated this plant as type of a new genus, Massowia, and published the combination 

 M. cannaefolia (Bot. Zeit. 10: 277-278). Apparently he was unaware that this 

 species had been described in the genus Spathiphyllum by Poeppig and End- 

 licher (Nova Gen. Sp. PI. 3: 85. 1845) as 8. candicans. 2 Massowia was placed 

 in synonymy under Spathiphyllum by Schott in 1853, when he finally delimited 

 his diagnosis of Spathiphyllum to exclude 8. sagittaefolium? and expanded it to 

 include related genera of other authors. Koch in 1856 (Bonplandia 4: 10-12) 

 published a sharp rebuttal of Schott's nomenclatural action. 



Schott, in his Genera Aroidearum (1858), described Spathiphyllum and pre- 

 sented a full-page plate of the reproductive structures of 8. blandum. Two years 

 later he presented his Prodromus Systematis Aroidearum, a monograph of the 

 entire family with partial keys to the species, in which 22 species of Spathiphyl- 

 lum were treated. 



Engler (Gard. Chron. IT. 7: 140. 1877) erected the genus Amomophyllum, 

 distinguished by the shape of the ovary and its uniovulate locules. In 1879 (in 

 DC. Monogr. Plan. 2: 227) he altered the rank of Amomophyllum to that of a 

 section of the genus Spathiphyllum. 



The last monograph of Spathiphyllum, prepared by Engler and Krause, ap- 

 peared in Das Pflanzenreich (4 23B : 118-134. 1908). It was a good treatment, 

 obviously representing new investigations undertaken since publication of the 

 Monographic. Twenty-seven species and four varieties were treated. 



GENERIC RELATIONSHIPS 



The aroid genus Spathiphyllum is generally considered rather primitive. 4 

 Its perfect flowers (with perianth) are borne on a spadix without a sterile ap- 

 pendage, and the spadix is subtended by a more or less flat or cochleariform, 

 persistent, rather foliaceous spathe. The geniculate apex of the petiole and the 

 well-developed spathe are its only advanced characteristics, except in the few 

 species whose perianth is formed into a 4-6-sided, truncate cup. 



Engler and Krause (Pflanzenreich 4 23B : 118-134. 1908) considered Spa- 

 thiphyllum to be most closely related to Holochlamys because the perianth in the 

 latter gefhis is a 4-sided cup similar to that in 8. comnmtatum. Holochlamys is 

 similar in habit and foliage to Spathiphyllum, but is more advanced. Its ovary 

 is unilocular with many ovules arising on long funiculi from a basal placenta, 

 and generally the spathe is convolute about the spadix. 



Hutchinson (Fam. Fl. PL 2: 119. 1934) placed Holochlamys in the Lasieae 

 near Podolasia because its spathe more or less embraces the spadix. On the con- 

 trary, the unfurled and rather foliaceous spathe of Spathiphyllum led Hutchin- 

 son to retain only this genus in the Spaihiphyllcac, which he considered to be 

 more primitive than the Anthurieae, and advanced only in relation to the Acoreae 



-S. candieans = S. cannaefolium 



3 Sehott erected the new genus Urospatha to receive S. sag iliac folium. 



4 The advanced conditions are: unisexual flowers (without perianth), and a spadix with a 

 sterile appendage, enveloped in a well-differentiated spathe. 



