Dracontium

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Dracontium spruceanum CBM.png

| image_caption = 1880 Botanical illustration of Dracontium spruceanumFitch (d. 1927) - Curtis's Botanical Magazine v.106 [ser.3:v.36] (1880)

| taxon = Dracontium

| authority = Blume ex Decne.

| synonyms_ref =

| synonyms =

• Eutereia Raf.
• Echidnium Schott
• Ophione Schott
• Chersydrium Schott
• Godwinia Seem.

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = See text

}}

Dracontium is a genus of flowering plants 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.[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=63959 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 {{cite web|url=http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/2010 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-08-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906080403/http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/2010/ |archive-date=2015-09-06 }}. 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.{{cite book |last=Bown |first=Demi |title=Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family |year=2000 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=0-88192-485-7 }} The plant has a large caudexlike tuber similar to that of Amorphophallus, but rounder, and with no central and circular scar mark. When Dracontium plants begin to flower, the tuber swells and smoothens.Zhu, G. h. & T. B. Croat. 2004. Revision of Dracontium (Araceae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 91(4): 593–667