Cochliostema

Cochliostema Lem. is a genus of  plants with 2-3 species in the family Commelinaceae (the spiderwort and dayflower family). The genus occurs from southern Nicaragua to southern Ecuador.

==Systematics==
Cochliostema is a member of the subtribe Dichorisandrinae of the tribe Tradescantieae. The two species are Cochliostema velutinum R.W.Read and Cochliostema odoratissimum Lem. Cochliostema jacobianum is a synonym of the latter species.

==Morphology==
Rosette, typically unbranched herbs with somewhat succulent, strap-shaped leaves. In the wild, plants grow as epiphytes; however, terrestrial plants are found on or around tree falls suggesting that these ground-dwelling plants had been growing epiphytically. One species, Cochliostema odoratissimum, is a tank-epiphyte, resembling certain bromeliads in this respect. This species also attains the greatest size for the genus, with its leaves reaching to 1 m in length, and plants sometimes reaching 2 m in height.

Flowers are borne in large thyrses and are generally the largest (ca. 2.5 cm diam.), among the most fragrant, and arguably the most complex in the family. They consist of 3 sepals, 3 blue to blue-violet petals fringed with moniliform hairs, 3 stamens fused by their filaments in the upper half of the flower, and 3 carpels fused into a single trilocular pistil. The staminal structure consists of 3 stamens fused by their filaments and has 3 spirally coiled anthers enveloped and concealed by petaloid extensions of the filaments of the two lateral stamens contributing to the 3-staminate structure. These structures, termed "cuculli", are narrowed into two distal hose-like extensions.

==References==
*Hardy CR, DW Stevenson (2000) Development of the flower, gametophytes, and floral vasculature in Cochliostema odoratissimum (Commelinaceae). ''Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society'' 134 (1): 131-157.

*Hardy CR (2001) Systematics of Cochliostema, Geogenanthus, and an undescribed genus in the spiderwort family, Commelinaceae. Ph.D. Dissertation, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith