Tacca is a genus of flowering plants in the family Dioscoreaceae, placed in the order Dioscoreales. The genus is commonly known as batflowers, a name that reflects the dramatic appearance of its blooms: many species produce nearly black flowers surrounded by large, wing-like involucral bracts and long filiform bracteoles that hang down like whiskers, giving the inflorescence a bat-like silhouette unlike almost any other plant genus.
The genus is native to tropical regions spanning South America, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Australia, and numerous islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It comprises at least 16 species, ranging from the widely distributed Tacca leontopetaloides (arrowroot), which extends across tropical Africa, Madagascar, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Pacific Islands, to highly range-restricted species such as Tacca borneensis (Borneo) and Tacca ankaranensis (Madagascar).
Botanist Engbert Drenth hypothesized that Tacca species attract carrion and dung flies as pollinators, aided by the dark coloration and structure of the flowers. The fleshy seed margins may attract ants, suggesting possible myrmecochory in seed dispersal.
Taxonomically, Tacca was long treated in its own family Taccaceae within the order Taccales. Dahlgren recognised its affinities with Dioscoreales, and the 2003 APG II system formally incorporated it into the family Dioscoreaceae — a placement maintained by APG III and APG IV.
Several species are well-known in cultivation. Tacca chantrieri — the black batflower or devil flower — is among the most striking ornamental plants in tropical horticulture. Tacca integrifolia, the white or purple batflower, is also widely grown. Tacca leontopetaloides has been cultivated for centuries as a starch crop; its rhizomes yield a food-grade arrowroot used across Pacific and Indian Ocean island communities.
Etymology
The common name "batflower" refers to the distinctive inflorescence: large dark bracts spread like bat wings on either side of the flower cluster, with long drooping bracteoles resembling a bat's facial features or whiskers. Individual species carry additional vernacular names — T. chantrieri is called the black batflower, devil flower, bat-head lily, or cat's whiskers, while T. integrifolia is known as the white or purple batflower.
Distribution
Tacca is native to pantropical regions, occurring across South America, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Australia, and islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Individual species show markedly different range sizes: T. leontopetaloides is one of the most widespread, spanning tropical Africa through the Pacific Islands, while many other species are confined to single islands or island groups such as Borneo, Sulawesi, or Madagascar.
Cultivation
Several Tacca species are cultivated as ornamental plants prized for their bold, tropical foliage and extraordinary flowers. Tacca chantrieri (black batflower) and Tacca integrifolia (white/purple batflower) are the most popular in tropical and subtropical gardens and as greenhouse specimens. Tacca cristata is also grown ornamentally. Beyond aesthetics, Tacca leontopetaloides has a long history as a food crop — its starchy rhizomes are processed into arrowroot, a traditional staple and thickening agent in Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.
Taxonomy Notes
Tacca was historically placed in the monogeneric family Taccaceae within the order Taccales. Dahlgren was among the first to argue for its placement within Dioscoreales based on morphological similarities to other genera in that order. The APG II classification (2003) formally transferred the genus to the family Dioscoreaceae; this treatment has been retained in APG III and APG IV. Note: GBIF currently lists the family as Taccaceae, which conflicts with the APG consensus reflected in Wikipedia.
