Spathiphyllum

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 peace lilies.
They are evergreen herbaceous perennial plants with large leaves 12–65 cm long and 3–25 cm broad. The flowers are produced in a spadix, surrounded by a 10–30 cm long, white, yellowish, or greenish spathe. 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 spathe, 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 brevirostre
Spathiphyllum cannifolium
Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum
Spathiphyllum commutatum
Spathiphyllum cuspidatum
Spathiphyllum floribundum
Spathiphyllum friedrichsthalii
Spathiphyllum fulvovirens
Spathiphyllum gardneri
Spathiphyllum grandifolium
Spathiphyllum jejunum
Spathiphyllum juninense
Spathiphyllum kalbreyeri
Spathiphyllum kochii
Spathiphyllum laeve
Spathiphyllum lechlerianum
Spathiphyllum maguirei
Spathiphyllum mawarinumae
Spathiphyllum monachinoi
Spathiphyllum montanum
Spathiphyllum neblinae
Spathiphyllum ortgiesii
Spathiphyllum patini
Spathiphyllum perezii
Spathiphyllum phryniifolium
Spathiphyllum quindiuense
Spathiphyllum silvicola
Spathiphyllum solomonense
Spathiphyllum wallisii
Spathiphyllum wendlandii
Cultivated hybrids include:
Spathiphyllum × clevelandii
Cultivation and uses
Several species are popular indoor houseplants. 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 found that Spathiphyllum cleans certain gaseous environmental contaminants, including benzene and formaldehyde. However, subsequent tests have shown this cleaning effect is far too small to be practical.
The cultivar 'Mauna Loa' has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Toxicity
Although it is called a "lily", the peace lily is not a true lily from the family Liliaceae. 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. Like many Araceae it contains calcium oxalate 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, 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 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.
See also
Anthurium, similar looking genus of plants in same family
List of plants known as lily
References
External links
Germplasm Resources Information Network: Spathiphyllum species list
Araceae genera
Taxa named by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott