Lasia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lasia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lasia spinosa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Araceae |
| Subfamily: | Lasioideae |
| Genus: | Lasia Lour. |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Lasius Hassk. | |
Lasia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Asia and New Guinea. The genus contains only two known species, Lasia spinosa and Lasia concinna.[1][2][3] Lasia was believed to be a monotypic genus until 1997 when a wild population of Lasia concinna was discovered in a farmer's paddy field in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The farmer had been growing them for their edible young leaves. This species of Lasia had been known of previously only from a single specimen at the Bogor Botanic Gardens, formally described in 1920.[4] Prior to 1997, the specimen was believed to have been a hybrid between Lasia spinosa and Cyrtosperma merkusii.[5] The subsequent discovery by Hambali and Sizemore led to the realization that it was in fact a distinct species.[6][7]
- Lasia concinna Alderw. – West Kalimantan (Borneo)
- Lasia spinosa (L.) Thwaites – China (including Tibet), Taiwan, Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea
