Syngonium

Syngonium Template:IPAc-en is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical rainforests in southern Mexico, the West Indies, Central and South America.Template:R They are woody vines growing to heights of 10–20 m or more in trees. They have leaves that change shape according to the plant's stage of growth, and adult leaf forms are often much more lobed than the juvenile forms usually seen on small house plants. The scientific name of the genus comes from the Greek words σύν (syn - plus, z) and γονή (gone - gonada) and refers to the fused ovaries of female flowers.

Cultivation

Syngonium species are often grown as house plants, usually only in the juvenile foliage stages. Syngonium podophyllum is the most commonly cultivated species, and is often referred to simply as Syngonium.

Distribution

Syngonium species generally inhabit tropical rainforests, subtropical forests, ruderal areas, thickets, urban areas, and wetlands. Invasive species are also troublesome weeds, e.g. banana crops.

Syngonium species are native to tropical America, where they are found from Mexico to Brazil. The center of diversity of genus is in Costa Rica and Panama, where there are a total of 16 species (13 in Costa Rica and 11 in Panama). The second place for the diversity of species is Mexico, where 8 species are present. The most widespread species is S. podophyllum, which ranges from Mexico to Brazil. It is believed that the Mexican and Costa Rican populations of Syngonium have long been separated, which translates into morphological differences in the representatives of the same species (e.g. S. podophyllum and S. macrophyllum).

Template:Dubious span Similarly, S. angustatum is an invasive species on many Pacific islands and the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Morphology and anatomy

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Syngonium plant with fruits creeping over the tree at Chiapas, Mexico

File:Syngonium podophyllum a1.jpg

Syngonium podophyllum is a popular houseplant.

It is an elongated, climbing or creeping herbaceous evergreen plant that reaches a height of with a sympodial growth type, lacking branches (branches off only after damage to the apical meristem), cylindrical to oval in cross-section. After the inflorescences have risen from the top of the stem, it stops growing, and from the side bud, placed two nodes below the top of the stem, a new main shoot is formed.

The stem reaches several millimeters in diameter in juvenile plants and up to 6 cm in diameter (average of 1–2 cm) in mature plants. In juvenile plants, the stem is green and performs photosynthesis, but with age the plant cells stem lose chlorophyll. The climbing stalks have elongated internodes and are elastic to some extent, however, after bending the stem's skin often breaks and peels off, turning brown or yellowish. Template:Incomprehensible span In the parenchyma, starch grains are randomly distributed. The tissue of the stem also contains idioblasts with calcium oxalate crystals and drusen. The stem also contains secretory cells, containing tannins and milk juice, which solidifies in the air.

Just below each node there are two types of adventitious roots: a bundle of sticky roots and a single root, whose function is to supply the plant with nutrients. Template:Incomprehensible span Plants often begin flowering before the emergence of mature leaves, which led to misleading description of new types of twigs.

Leaves

The shape of leaf blades is a feature dividing the genus into informal groups:

• Cordatum - juvenile leaves whole, ovate or elliptical; matured leaves, ovoid-elliptical, oblong-ovate or ovate, less often arrow-shaped and slightly narrowed,
• Oblongatum - juvenile and mature oblong leaves for longitudinal-elliptical or ovoid-elliptic,
• Pinnatilobum - youthful egg-shaped leaves, often with a heart-shaped root, mature split leaves, narrowly lobed,
• Syngonium - juvenile leaves, whole ovate or elliptical; mature bisector leaves up to 11-secant and fan-shaped; the degree of necrosis of mature leaves depends on the age of the leaf and its position on the stem, older leaves and higher on the stem are more complicated than juveniles and lower ones. Not fully mature leaves of plants that start climbing are arrow or spear.

Fruits

The fruit is an ovoid, multigire fruit compound, surrounded by a vaginal inflorescence chamber, which sometimes breaks and curls up, revealing fruit that is usually brownish and very aromatic (seeds shed by mammals) or white (in S. mauroanum, S. triphyllum and S. wendlandii, seeds spread by birds). Each fruit contains from 50 to 100 seeds, which are usually ovate or cylindrical, with dimensions 5-10 × 3–6 mm, with rounded ends. The seed husks are black or brown, thin, shiny. Seeds lose their ability to germinate after drying.

Related genera

Representatives of the genus philodendron, from which the twins differ mainly in the conjugated, 1-3-chamber ovaries (in the case of the genus philodendron, ovaries are free and multi-chambered) and seeds without endosperms. In the non-blossoming state, Syngonium can be distinguished from philodendrons on non- cattalyllable leaves and clearly visible submarginal monofilament located 3–10 mm from the edge of the leaf.

Propagation

Syngonium is easy to propagate and its propagation can be easily done in water or soil through cutting. Simply get a perfect or suitable cutting and plant it in water or soil and provide best care conditions.

Biology and ecology

Perennial, evergreen climbers and hemieiphytes. Sometimes plants, e.g. after breaking the stem, become epiphytes. After germination of the seeds, which always takes place in the ground, the plant remains for some time at the stage of the rosette, with a slender stalk with very short internodes. Leaves, first ovate, after some time become cordate at the base. Then the stem rapidly grows to length, creeping in places with the highest shading. After reaching the trunk of the tree, the stem begins to climb rapidly towards the light, and the plant begins to form larger leaf blades. After reaching the appropriate height, the plants form mature leaf blades and bloom. After the growth cone is damaged, the usually unbranched plant begins to form lateral shoots. In the event of loss of contact with the support by the top part of the stem, the plant begins to produce narrower and longer internodes and smaller leaves. The flowers of the twins are protogous.Template:Explain

In the process of flowering plants use the mechanism of thermogenesis. Plants bloom for 3 days. Around noon on the first day of the cycle the scabbard inflorescence opens up to one-half to two-thirds of its length, allowing the insects to access the female flowers. The markings of the bars become moist and the temperature of the flask slightly rises above the ambient level. On the morning of the second day of the cycle, the temperature of the flask rapidly increases (to about 12 °C above the environment), and the flowers begin to give off a sharp aroma, attracting insects. This condition lasts for about 12 hours, after which the inflorescence temperature drops, but remains at about 2 °C above the external conditions. On the third day the temperature of the flask again increases slightly, and the sheath curls up on the stretch of staminodes and female flowers, which stop taking pollen at the same time. Then the male flowers open, letting out long threads of pollen, which falls into the chamber formed by the lower part of the vagina. At the same time, the temperature of the flask drops to the ambient level. Beetles are the primary insects that pollinate the flowers, especially those in the subfamilies Rutelinae and Dynastiniae. Syngonium podophyllum predominantly reproduces vegetatively, contributing to its invasiveness.

Toxicity

The twig tissues contain sharp crystals of calcium oxalate. Contact with the plant, especially its accidental damage, can cause inflammation of the skin, manifested by itching, burning, and the appearance of efflorescence and blisters. Getting the juice of the plant into the eye causes burning and tearing. Contact plants from the mucous membranes of the mouth causes them severe irritation, seen as a sharp, searing pain and swelling. Ingestion of the plant causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa.

Species

since December 2025Template:Dated maintenance category (articles), Plants of the World Online accepts the following 41 species:Template:R

External links

• Aroid Society: A Revision of Syngonium
• Nephthytis, Arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum)
• Syngonium Nephthytis, White-veined arrowhead vine