Marantaaceae is a family of monocotyledonous plants of the order Zingiberaceae. There are about 31 genera and 550 species in the arrowroot family. They are native to tropical regions in America, Africa and Asia. Arrowroot, an undergraduate plant, is native to the Caribbean. It is commonly called powdered potato, and its tubers can extract starch. Some species of the genus Maranta, with beautiful markings on the leaves, are often cultivated as indoor plants for ornamental purposes.
