Tacca

plant genus

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July 16, 2026

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The genus Tacca comprises tropical herbs known for their unique appearance, often referred to as "bat flowers" or "bat plants". These plants are characterized by creeping rootstocks, basal compound leaves, and umbel-like inflorescences. The flowers are typically small and subtended by conspicuous, often dark-colored, winglike bracts, with some species featuring long, threadlike appendages. Primarily found in tropical wet forests, especially in Southeast Asia, some Tacca species are cultivated as ornamentals. The genus Tacca belongs to the order Dioscoreales and was historically placed in its own family, Taccaceae, though it is now often included within the Dioscoreaceae family.1234

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Dioscoreales
Members of the genus Tacca, or bat flower, are understory herbs found in tropical wet forests, primarily in Southeast Asia, and are sometimes grown as ornamentals. Their umbel-like inflorescences have conspicuous, often dark maroon or black, filiform bracts subtending the flowers. Tacca was placed in its own family, Taccaceae,…
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Members of the genus Tacca, or bat flower, are understory herbs found in tropical wet forests, primarily in Southeast Asia, and are sometimes grown as ornamentals. Their umbel-like inflorescences have conspicuous, often dark maroon or black, filiform bracts subtending the flowers. Tacca was placed in its own family, Taccaceae,…
Read More