Holochlamys
Encyclopedia
Holochlamys is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the Araceae
Araceae
Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...

 family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

. Holochlamys beccarii is the only species in the genus Holochlamys. It is endemic to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

 and is found growing in mud near lowland streams or rocky streambeds at high elevations. The species is primarily rheophytic
Rheophyte
A rheophyte is an aquatic plant that lives in fast moving water currents in an environment where few other organisms can survive. Rheophytes tend to be found in currents that move at rates of 1 to 2 meters per second and that are up to 3 to 6 feet deep. The amount of force such fast moving currents...

 and closely related to the genus Spathiphyllum
Spathiphyllum
Spathiphyllum is a genus of about 40 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia. Certain species of Spathiphyllum are commonly known as Spath or Peace Lilies.They are evergreen herbaceous perennial plants with...

. Holochlamys closely resemble Spathiphyllum except that in Holochamys the spathe clasps the spadix
Spadix
In botany, a spadix is a type of spike inflorescence having small flowers borne on a fleshy stem. Spadix are typical of the Family Araceae known as arums or aroids...

. Also, the inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...

 rots quickly after flowering which doesn't occur in Spathiphyllum. The inflorescence emerges below the foliage and has a white spathe and spadix. The spadix tends to be about the same length as the spathe and produces a leathery fruit. Contained within the fruit are very small seeds. The leaves can vary greatly in size from species to species, but they tend to be either oval or lanceolate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...

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