Chlorophytum

Chlorophytum
Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum' – a variegated cultivar
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Subfamily:	Agavoideae
Genus:	Chlorophytum Ker Gawl.[1]
Type species
Chlorophytum inornatum Ker Gawl.
Synonyms[2]
Hartwegia Nees Hollia Heynh. Schidospermum Griseb. in W.Lechler Asphodelopsis Steud. ex Baker Acrospira Welw. ex Baker Dasystachys Baker 1878, illegitimate homonym, not Oerst. 1859 Debesia Kuntze Verdickia De Wild.

Chlorophytum (/ˌklɒrəˈfaɪtəm, ˌklɔː-, -roʊ-/,^[3][4]), sometimes colloquially referred to as the spider plants, is a genus of almost 200 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the century plant subfamily within the asparagus family.^[5] The plants are native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Australia, and Asia.^[2][6][7][8]

Depending on species, most Chlorophytum mature at about 10–60 cm (3"-12") in height, growing out from a central rosette of long, slender leaves of around 15–75 cm (5"-29") in length. The plants tend to have thick, fleshy, tuberous roots, about 0.5-2 cm (0.17"-0.75") thick. The flowers are small and usually white, produced on sparse panicles up to 120 cm (47") long.

In certain species, such as C. comosum (the ubiquitous 'spider plant'), the plants are known to reproduce vegetatively by producing plantlets—baby plants connected by an "umbilical" stem, sprouting from the side of the main mother-plant. On the ground, or in a wild setting, this vegetative growth habit enables vast swathes of the plant to colonize a single area, as the plantlets develop small roots to eventually anchor into the soil and spread the mass further. In a home or garden setting, these plants are often grown in hanging pots, on plant stands, high shelves or other elevated surfaces.

As the plant develops and throws off babies, or "pups", these may be optionally removed and propagated, either in a vessel of water for a time or directly planted into new substrate. Conversely, if the pups are allowed to remain connected to the mother plant and hang naturally, the appearance vaguely mimics spiders hanging by their silken thread—thus giving the plant the common moniker of "spider-plant". The plantlets will develop aerial roots when left attached to the mother plant, as a means of absorbing ambient humidity until they make contact with an organic substrate, or the ground.^[3]

Chlorophytum borivilianum is a native of India, where it is grown for use as a medicinal plant.

• 
  Flower of C. comosum
• 
  Fleshy tuberous roots of C. comosum

Species, subspecies, and varieties

The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognized 191 species as of January 2013^[update]:^[2]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chlorophytum.

• Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Chlorophytum". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.

This page was last edited on 7 February 2024, at 06:03