The flowers are small and often inconspicuous, irregular, and bisexual, usually with an outer three free sepals and an inner series of three petaloid-like segments, tube-like in appearance.

[citation needed] The family consists of 29 genera with about 570 known species,[6] found in the tropical areas of the world except in Australia.

Zingiberaceae Costaceae Cannaceae Marantaceae Lowiaceae Strelitziaceae Heliconiaceae Musaceae Phylogenetic tree of the family.

[8] Ctenanthe Stromanthe Myrosma Saranthe Koernickanthe Maranta Hylaeanthe Halopegia Indianthus Afrocalathea Stachyphrynium Ataenidia Marantochloa Monophyllanthe Ischnosiphon Pleiostachya Calathea Sanblasia Monotagma Goeppertia Phrynium Phacelophrynium Cominsia Donax Schumannianthus Thalia Trachyphrynium Hypselodelphys Sarcophrynium Megaphrynium Thaumatococcus Haumania Arilated seeds of Marantaceae are dispersed mainly by birds and mammals.

[11] This quick pollination event plays a significant role in optimizing mating and has been hypothesized to be a factor in the high level of speciation within this family.

[citation needed] Several species of genus Goeppertia are grown as houseplants for their large ornamental leaves, which are variegated in shades of green, white, and pink.

C. allouia or leren, from the West Indies and tropical America, is known as sweet corn root for its edible tuber.