23-418: Aspidistra / ˌ æ s p ɪ ˈ d ɪ s t r ə / is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae , subfamily Nolinoideae , native to eastern and southeastern Asia, particularly China and Vietnam . They grow in shade under trees and shrubs. Their leaves arise more or less directly from ground level, where their flowers also appear. The number of species known has increased considerably from
46-476: A "myth". Amphipods , small terrestrial crustaceans , are responsible for pollinating A. elatior in Japan. Amphipods have also been shown to pollinate species of Aspidistra introduced to Australia. Springtails and fungus gnats have also been suggested as pollinators. The newly described Vietnamese species A. phanluongii is probably pollinated by flies of the genus Megaselia . Aspidistra elatior ,
69-554: A lack of widespread consensus within the scientific community for extended periods. The continual publication of new data and diverse opinions plays a crucial role in facilitating adjustments and ultimately reaching a consensus over time. The naming of families is codified by various international bodies using the following suffixes: The taxonomic term familia was first used by French botanist Pierre Magnol in his Prodromus historiae generalis plantarum, in quo familiae plantarum per tabulas disponuntur (1689) where he called
92-619: A popular wartime classic. An aspidistra is mentioned in the Wallace and Gromit short, "The Autochef", from the Cracking Contraptions series. In two Dorothy L. Sayers books from the mid-1930s, Busman's Honeymoon and The Nine Tailors , characters make disparaging remarks about aspidistras. Aspidistras can withstand deep shade, neglect, dry soil, hot temperatures and polluted indoor air (from burning coal or natural gas ) but are sensitive to bright sunlight. "Aspidistra"
115-461: A rapid rise in the number of recognised species since then. Some 8 to 10 species were known in the late 1970s; 30 new species were described from China in the 1980s. Subsequently, more new species were found in Vietnam. The online Flora of China uses a narrow definition of species, producing a total of about 55, saying that the genus has "never been well studied". In 2008, Tillich provided the key to
138-555: Is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae , native to Japan and Taiwan . Tolerant of neglect, it is widely cultivated as a houseplant , but can also be grown outside in shade where temperatures remain above −5 °C (23 °F). It is used as training material for the seika form of ikebana . Growing to 60 cm (24 in) tall and wide, it is an evergreen rhizomatous perennial, with glossy dark green leaves 30–50 cm (12–20 in) long, and fleshy, 8-lobed cream flowers with maroon colouring on
161-499: Is commonly referred to as the "walnut family". The delineation of what constitutes a family— or whether a described family should be acknowledged— is established and decided upon by active taxonomists . There are not strict regulations for outlining or acknowledging a family, yet in the realm of plants, these classifications often rely on both the vegetative and reproductive characteristics of plant species. Taxonomists frequently hold varying perspectives on these descriptions, leading to
184-485: Is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy . It is classified between order and genus . A family may be divided into subfamilies , which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae , but that family
207-649: Is well known in cultivation and has a reputation for withstanding neglect, giving rise to its common name of cast-iron plant. It is tolerant of low light, low humidity, temperature fluctuation and irregular watering. It is best situated in a position away from direct sun to avoid leaf bleaching. Good drainage is also required for optimal growth and to avoid root rot. Widely grown as a house plant, it can also be grown successfully outdoors in shade in temperate climates, where plants will generally cope with temperatures down to −5 °C (23 °F), being killed by frosts of −5 to −10 °C (23 to 14 °F) or below. The species
230-609: The Genera Plantarum of George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker this word ordo was used for what now is given the rank of family. Families serve as valuable units for evolutionary, paleontological, and genetic studies due to their relatively greater stability compared to lower taxonomic levels like genera and species. Aspidistra elatior Aspidistra elatior , the cast-iron-plant or bar-room plant , also known in Japanese as haran or baran (葉蘭)
253-497: The UK include A. diabuensis , A. elatior , A. lurida , A. typica , A. zongbyi and their cultivars. In Japan, leaves of A. elatior have traditionally been cut into pieces and used in bento and osechi boxes to keep each food separated. However, imitations called "baran" are commonly used now. As a popular foliage houseplant, A. elatior became popular in late Victorian Britain and
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#1732783761167276-486: The "cast-iron plant", is a popular houseplant, surviving shade, cool conditions and neglect. It is one of several species of Aspidistra that can be grown successfully outdoors in shade in temperate climates, where they will generally cope with temperatures down to −5 °C (23 °F), being killed by frosts of −5 to −10 °C (23 to 14 °F) or below. In addition to shade, aspidistras require an open, acidic and humus-rich soil. Species suggested for growing outdoors in
299-489: The 1980s onwards, with around 100 accepted as of July 2013. Aspidistra elatior is common worldwide as a foliage house plant that is very tolerant of neglect. It and other species can also be grown in shade outside, where they are generally hardy to −5 °C (23 °F). Species of Aspidistra are perennial herbaceous plants growing from rhizomes . The leaves are either solitary or are grouped in small "tufts" of two to four. They arise more or less directly from
322-702: The 93 species known at that time. Plants of the World Online currently includes: Species of Aspidistra are part of the ground flora, growing in forests and under shrubs, in areas of high rainfall, from eastern India , Indochina and China through to Japan . The largest number of species are found in Guangxi Province, China, with Vietnam occupying second place. Few species have a broad distribution, with many being endemic to China or Vietnam. It has long been said that slugs and snails pollinate Aspidistra flowers. This has been described as
345-540: The family as a rank intermediate between order and genus was introduced by Pierre André Latreille in his Précis des caractères génériques des insectes, disposés dans un ordre naturel (1796). He used families (some of them were not named) in some but not in all his orders of "insects" (which then included all arthropods ). In nineteenth-century works such as the Prodromus of Augustin Pyramus de Candolle and
368-459: The genus, are borne on scapes up to 20 cm (8 in) high. A. grandiflora has spider-like flowers up to 12 cm (5 in) across. The flower has a large stigma with a flattened top. The fruit is a berry , often with a single seed. The genus Aspidistra was named by the English botanist John Ker Gawler in 1822, as a blend of Greek ασπίς/ασπίδ- aspid- , meaning shield, and
391-547: The inner surface, borne in early summer. According to a study published in 2018, A. elatior appears to be mainly pollinated by fungus gnats ( Cordyla sixi and Bradysia spp. ) . Although sometimes thought to be of Chinese origin, the species is in fact native to southern Japan, including Kuroshima , Suwanosejima and the Uji Islands . It occurs in association with overstorey species such as Ardisia sieboldii and Castanopsis sieboldii . A. elatior
414-432: The name of the sister genus Tupistra . The genus was at one time placed in a broadly defined Liliaceae, along with many other lilioid monocots . It has also been placed in the families Convallariaceae and Ruscaceae. The APG III system of 2009 places it in the family Asparagaceae , subfamily Nolinoideae . Aspidistra is a genus that was largely ignored by field botanists until the 1980s onwards, and there has been
437-409: The rhizome, rather than being borne on stems. Each leaf has a long stalk ( petiole ) and a blade with many veins. The flowering stem ( scape ) is usually very short so that the flowers appear low down among the leaves. The fleshy flowers are bell-, urn- or cup-shaped. They vary considerably in size and shape, although few are showy. The flowers of A. longipedunculata are yellow and, unusually for
460-575: The seventy-six groups of plants he recognised in his tables families ( familiae ). The concept of rank at that time was not yet settled, and in the preface to the Prodromus Magnol spoke of uniting his families into larger genera , which is far from how the term is used today. In his work Philosophia Botanica published in 1751, Carl Linnaeus employed the term familia to categorize significant plant groups such as trees , herbs , ferns , palms , and so on. Notably, he restricted
483-549: The use of this term solely within the book's morphological section, where he delved into discussions regarding the vegetative and generative aspects of plants. Subsequently, in French botanical publications, from Michel Adanson 's Familles naturelles des plantes (1763) and until the end of the 19th century, the word famille was used as a French equivalent of the Latin ordo (or ordo naturalis ). In zoology ,
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#1732783761167506-534: Was so common that it became a "symbol of dull middle-class respectability". As such, it was central to George Orwell 's novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying , as a symbol of the need of the middle class to maintain respectability according to Gordon Comstock, the novel's protagonist. It was further immortalised in the 1938 song " The Biggest Aspidistra in the World ", which, as sung by Gracie Fields , became
529-458: Was the codename (inspired by the above song) of a very powerful British radio transmitter used for propaganda and deception purposes against Nazi Germany during World War II. The 1980s British television show The Adventure Game featured a moving aspidistra called the Rangdo of Arg, operated by Kenny Baker . Family (biology) Family ( Latin : familia , pl. : familiae )
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