Dracontium is a genus of similar to those of Amorphophallus. Unlike Amorphophallus which is found in the Old World, this genus has a New World distribution and is native to South America, Central America, southern Mexico, and the West Indies.[ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families][erts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae): 1-560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.][Forzza, R. C. 2010. Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil . Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro]
Dracontium species can be distinguished from related genera by their inflorescence, which is smaller and unisexual.[Zhu, G. h. & T. B. Croat. 2004. Revision of Dracontium (Araceae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 91(4): 593–667]
Species
More than 20
Dracontium species have been described:
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Dracontium amazonense G.H.Zhu & Croat - Venezuela, Peru, northwestern Brazil
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Dracontium angustispathum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Colombia, Peru
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Dracontium asperispathum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Colombia, Peru, Ecuador
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Dracontium asperum K. Koch - Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Windward Islands, Venezuela, Peru, northwestern Brazil, the Guianas
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Dracontium bogneri G.H.Zhu & Croat - Brazil
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Dracontium croatii G.H.Zhu - Carchi and Pichincha Provinces in Ecuador
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Dracontium dubium Kunth - Venezuela, Guyana
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Dracontium gigas (Seem.) Adolf Engler - Nicaragua, Costa Rica
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Dracontium grandispathum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Ecuador
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Dracontium grayumianum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Panama, Colombia
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Dracontium guianense G.H.Zhu & Croat - French Guiana
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Dracontium iquitense E.C.Morgan & J.A.Sperling - Loreto region of eastern Peru
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Dracontium longipes Engl. - Peru, Acre State of Brazil
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Dracontium margaretae Bogner - Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay
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Dracontium nivosum (Lem.) G.H.Zhu - Pará, Maranhão
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Dracontium peruvianum G.H.Zhu & Croat - Peru, northwestern Brazil
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Dracontium pittieri Engl. - Costa Rica
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Dracontium plowmanii G.H.Zhu & Croat - Peru
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Dracontium polyphyllum Carl Linnaeus - Pará, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela, Peru, Puerto Rico
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Dracontium prancei G.H.Zhu & Croat - Amazonas and Roraima States of northwestern Brazil
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Dracontium purdieanum (Schott) Engl. - Colombia, Venezuela
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Dracontium soconuscum Matuda - Chiapas, Costa Rica, Panama
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Dracontium spruceanum (Schott) G.H.Zhu - Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, northwestern Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname
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Dracontium ulei Kurt Krause - Acre State in western Brazil; Pando region of northern Bolivia
