Araceae
Guides
Colocasia
elephant ears, taro, cocoyam, dasheen, eddoe
Colocasia is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Araceae, native to Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The genus includes the economically important species C. esculenta (taro), widely cultivated for its edible corms and leaves across tropical and subtropical regions. Plants are characterized by large sagittate leaves and reproduce primarily through underground corms and rhizomes. Several species have become naturalized beyond their native range, with C. esculenta recognized as invasive in wetland habitats along the Gulf Coast of the United States.
Derelomini
Palm Flower Weevils
Derelomini is a tribe of flower weevils (Curculionidae: Curculioninae) commonly known as palm flower weevils. Members are associated with reproductive structures of plants, particularly inflorescences. The tribe includes genera with specialized brood pollination mutualisms with palms (Arecaceae) and other monocots, as well as genera associated with dicotyledonous plants. Genera include Derelomus, Elaeidobius, Hypoleschus, Notolomus, Phyllotrox, and several recently described genera including Ebenacobius, Cyclanthura, Ganglionus, and Staminodeus.
Eccritotarsini
Eccritotarsini is a tribe of plant bugs within the family Miridae, subfamily Bryocorinae. It is the most species-rich tribe in Bryocorinae, with approximately 650 described species in 112 genera worldwide. The tribe is predominantly distributed in the Neotropics, though significant faunas occur in the Oriental region including India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. Members are predominantly phytophagous, with documented associations particularly with Araceae monocots in some genera. The tribe has been subject to recent taxonomic revision in multiple regions due to its high diversity and poorly resolved species boundaries.
Lasia
Lasia is a small genus of flowering plants in the arum family (Araceae) comprising two accepted species: Lasia spinosa and Lasia concinna. The genus was long considered monotypic until the rediscovery of L. concinna in 1997 in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, where it was being cultivated for its edible young leaves. Both species are native to humid tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and New Guinea, with L. spinosa having the broader distribution across South and Southeast Asia.
Rhysophora
Rhysophora is a genus of shore flies (Diptera: Ephydridae) in the tribe Discomyzini, distributed primarily in the Neotropics with two Nearctic species. The genus was revised in 2015 following discovery of four new Neotropical species, confirming its monophyly and establishing Helaeomyia as its sister group. Species diversity is greatest in South America.