''Spathiphyllum'' is a genus of about 47 species of

monocotyledon Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

ous

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

s in the family

Araceae The 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). ...

, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

. Certain species of ''Spathiphyllum'' are commonly known as spath or peace lilies. They are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s with large leaves 12–65 cm long and 3–25 cm broad. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s are produced in a spadix, surrounded by a 10–30 cm long, white, yellowish, or greenish

spathe In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

. The plant does not need large amounts of light or water to survive. They are most often grown as houseplants, however they are able to withstand the elements well enough to thrive when planted outdoors in situations that are hot and humid.

Etymology

Schott's description of the genus refers to ', where ' is a

, and ' is an adjective modifying spathe, meaning relating to a leaf, and ' means continuing or persisting. ' also means a leaf. The more common name of peace lily derives from the plants symbolism for peace, purity, and healing, and has also been associated with the white flag, which is a signal for truce.

Selected species

Species include: * '' Spathiphyllum atrovirens'' * '' Spathiphyllum bariense'' * ''

Spathiphyllum blandum ''Spathiphyllum'' is a genus of about 47 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 pe ...

Spathiphyllum monachinoi ''Spathiphyllum'' is a genus of about 47 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 pe ...

'' * '' Spathiphyllum montanum'' * ''

Spathiphyllum neblinae ''Spathiphyllum'' is a genus of about 47 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 ...

'' * '' Spathiphyllum ortgiesii'' * '' Spathiphyllum patini'' * ''

Spathiphyllum perezii ''Spathiphyllum'' is a genus of about 47 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 pe ...

'' * '' Spathiphyllum phryniifolium'' * '' Spathiphyllum quindiuense'' * '' Spathiphyllum silvicola'' * ''

Spathiphyllum solomonense ''Spathiphyllum'' is a genus of about 47 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 pe ...

'' * ''

Spathiphyllum wallisii ''Spathiphyllum wallisii'', commonly known as peace lily, white sails, or spathe flower is a very popular indoor house plant of the family Araceae. The genus name means "spathe-leaf", and the specific epithet is named after Gustav Wallis, the ...

'' * '' Spathiphyllum wendlandii'' Cultivated hybrids include: * ''Spathiphyllum'' × ''clevelandii''

Cultivation and uses

Several species are popular indoor

houseplant A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

s. It lives best in shade and needs little sunlight to thrive, and is watered approximately once a week. The soil is best left moist but only needs watering if the soil is dry. The

NASA Clean Air Study __NOTOC__ The NASA Clean Air Study was a project led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) in 1989, to research ways to clean the air in sealed envir ...

found that ''Spathiphyllum'' cleans certain gaseous environmental contaminants, including

benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen ato ...

and

formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) ( systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section ...

. However, subsequent tests have shown this cleaning effect is far too small to be practical. The

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

'Mauna Loa' has won the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Toxicity

Although it is called a "lily", the peace lily is not a true lily from the family

Liliaceae The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a f ...

. True lilies are highly toxic (poisonous) to cats and dogs, but the peace lily, ''spathiphyllum'' is only mildly toxic to humans and other animals when ingested. It contains

calcium oxalate Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydrate ...

crystals, which can cause skin irritation, a burning sensation in the mouth, difficulty swallowing, and nausea, but it does ''not'' contain the toxins found in true lilies, which could cause acute kidney failure in cats and some other animals.

In popular culture

* The 7th track on ''

Mother Earth's Plantasia ''Mother Earth's Plantasia'' (subtitled "''warm earth music for plants and the people who love them''"), commonly referred to as simply ''Plantasia'', is an electronic album by Mort Garson first released in 1976. Background The music on it was c ...

'', an early electronic album that was composed for plants to listen to, is "Swingin' Spathiphyllums". * Simon Pegg's character PC Nicholas Angel in the movie ''

Hot Fuzz ''Hot Fuzz'' is a 2007 action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Starring Pegg, Nick Frost, Timothy Dalton, and Jim Broadbent, the film centres on two police officers investigating a series of mysterious ...

'' has a peace lily that appears in several scenes and is referred to throughout the film. Angel's dedication to caring for the peace lily serves to symbolize his highly structured lifestyle and by-the-book approach to policing, which he abandons when he shatters the plant over the head of Michael "Lurch" Armstrong.

References

External links

Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Spathiphyllum'' species list
{{Taxonbar, from=Q132632 Araceae genera