Alismatales, stabilizing plants ...

A number of plants in the Alismatales order are experts in swamps and boggy soil. They are capable of bringing life to swamps across the world. However, their herbaceous growth means that they can also grow as epiphytes in trees. Many plants have large inflorescences that consist of many individual flowers. The world’s largest inflorescence is grown by the titan arum, a member of this order. Many plants are cultivated as ornamental plants, and the taro is also used regionally for its starch. The order of Alismatales contains about 4,000 species. A related order is the Acorales, with the grasses Acorus gramineus and Acorus calamus.