AbstractPlants of the genusArisaema(Araceae) have an abbreviated subterranean stem from which much information about their structure and life history is obtainable. In this study, the growth pattern of the stem, number of leaves per shoot, position of foliage leaf and of the lateral continuation shoot, nature of axillary bud and phyllotaxis were examined in more than 50 species ofArisaema, including evergreen tropical species as well as deciduous ones. The states of the characters are compared and related each other resulting in the recognition of seven types of stem patterns inArisaema. The life histories of the evergreen and deciduous species and the significance of stem morphology for the systematics ofArisaemaare briefly summarized.