Code
THAGE
Growth form
Broadleaf
Biological cycle
Vivacious
Habitat
Aquatic
Thalia geniculata L.
synonym | Maranta arundinacea Billb. ex Beurl., nom. illeg. |
synonym | Maranta flexuosa C.Presl |
synonym | Maranta geniculata (L.) Lam. |
synonym | Renealmia erecta (Vell.) D.Dietr., nom. illeg. |
synonym | Renealmia geniculata (L.) D.Dietr. |
synonym | Thalia altissima Klotzsch, nom. inval. |
synonym | Thalia angustifolia C.Wright ex Griseb. |
synonym | Thalia caerulea Ridl. |
synonym | Thalia dipetala Gagnep. |
synonym | Thalia divaricata Chapm. |
synonym | Thalia erecta Vell. |
synonym | Thalia geniculata f. rheumoides Shuey |
synonym | Thalia geniculata var. pubescens Körn. |
synonym | Thalia schumanniana De Wild. |
synonym | Thalia trichocalyx Gagnep. |
synonym | Thalia welwitschii Ridl. |
English |
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Global description
Thalia geniculata is a vivacious, glabrous herb that emits large, upright leaves from a creeping rhizome and several upright stems with broad leaves. Stem and petioles are spongy. The limb is wide, crossed by many parallel veins that meet on the margin. The inflorescence is a large, loose panicle with purple flowers clustered in 2 and surrounded by deciduous bracts. The fruit is an elongate ellipsoid capsule that encloses a single seed.
General habit
Vivacious herbaceous rhizomatous plant, entirely hairless. Each plant emits several erect stems about 1 m high.
Underground system
The underground system is a creeping rhizome with many intermingled roots.
Stem
The stem (inflorescence axis) is cylindrical, more than 1 m high and spongy in its lower part.
Leaf
The leaves are simple, alternate, distichous. They usually measure about 1m in height. The petiole is 30 to 60 cm long forming a sheath at the base surrounding the stem. It is spongy in its lower part. The lamina is oval-lanceolate, rounded to sub-cordate at the base, gradually terminating in a broad wedge and shortly acuminate. It is 15 to 40 cm long and 8 to 20 cm wide. It is crossed by numerous parallel and close lateral veins, which join and form a cartilaginous margin. The margin is entire and both faces are glabrous.
Inflorescence
The inflorescence is a large terminal panicle erect, loose with slender branches. It is taller than the leaves. It has purple flowers that open in the morning.
Flower
The flowers are grouped by 2, and consist of 3 purple petals of irregular shapes. Each flower is supported by a deciduous lanceolate white bract 1.5 to 2 cm long, shaped like a boat hull.
Fruit
The fruit is an elongated ellipsoid capsule 1 cm long.
Seed
The seed occupies the entire capsule. It is oblong, of largely elliptical, almost circular in section, black-brown colored
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Thalia geniculata is a vivacious species. It multiplies sexually by seeds and vegetatively by rhizomes and fragments of rhizomes.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Thalia geniculata can be confused with Thalia dealbata. The later species has larger leaves (1 to 2 m) and a larger inflorescence. The leaves are glaucous green, covered with a whitish bloom on the underside.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Worldwide distribution
Thalia geniculata is widely distributed in West and Central Africa and throughout tropical America.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local harmfulness
Benin: Thalia geniculata is frequent and scanty in the rice fields.
Ghana: frequent and generally abundant in rice fields.
Nigeria: frequent and scanty in the rice fields.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
- Grard, P., T. Le Bourgeois, J. Rodenburg, P. Marnotte, A. Carrara, R. Irakiza, D. Makokha, G. kyalo, K. Aloys, K. Iswaria, N. Nguyen and G. Tzelepoglou (2012). AFROweeds V.1.0: African weeds of rice Montpellier, France & Cotonou, Bénin, Cirad-AfricaRice eds
- Johnson, D.E. 1997. Les adventices en riziculture en Afrique de l'Ouest. ADRAO/WARDA, Bouaké, Côte-d'Ivoire.
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1968. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
- Grard, P., T. Le Bourgeois, J. Rodenburg, P. Marnotte, A. Carrara, R. Irakiza, D. Makokha, G. kyalo, K. Aloys, K. Iswaria, N. Nguyen and G. Tzelepoglou (2012). AFROweeds V.1.0: African weeds of rice Montpellier, France & Cotonou, Bénin, Cirad-AfricaRice eds
- Johnson, D.E. 1997. Les adventices en riziculture en Afrique de l'Ouest. ADRAO/WARDA, Bouaké, Côte-d'Ivoire.
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1968. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Thalia%2520geniculata
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Liliopsida |
Order | Zingiberales |
Family | Marantaceae |
Genus | Thalia |
Species | Thalia geniculata L. |