Elodea verticillata

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Hydrocharitaceae

Herbs, annual or perennial , caulescent or without evident stem, glabrous or pubescent , entirely submersed , with both submersed and floating leaves, or with submersed stolons and emergent leaves, in fresh, brackish , or marine waters; turions rarely present. Stems rhizomatous , creeping , with abbreviated erect axis at nodes, or erect, leafy, elongate . Leaves basal, alternate, opposite, or whorled , sessile or petiolate ; stipules sometimes present, forming tubular sheath around stem; blade margins entire or serrate; veins 1--many. Inflorescences axillary , terminal , or scapose , 1-flowered or cymose , subtended by spathe ; spathe a 2-fid bract or pair of opposite bracts. Flowers unisexual , staminate and pistillate on same plants or on different plants, often with rudiments of opposite type, or bisexual , actinomorphic , rarely slightly zygomorphic; perianth epigynous , free , mostly 6-parted, then differentiated into sepals and petals, rarely 3-parted, then petals absent in Thalassia and Halophila; stamens (0--) 2--many in 1 or more whorls (inner often staminodial), epigynous, distinct or ± connate ; pollen spheric, in monads or tetrads or in slender chains; ovary 0--1, if present, inferior, 2--6[--16]-carpellate, 1-locular or falsely 6--9-locular; placentation parietal . Fruits berrylike. Seeds many, fusiform , ellipsoid , ovoid , or spheric; seed coat glabrous, papillose , or echinate .

Genera 17, species ca. 76 (10 genera, 14 species in the flora ) : nearly worldwide.

Hydrocharitaceae, like other members of the Alismatidae, have one or more (fewer than 20) scales (intravaginal squamules ) in the axils of their leaves. These scales (or hairs in some taxa) secrete mucilage and are without any venation . The structures are often referred to as "squamulae intravaginales" or "intravaginal scales" in the literature.[1]

Genus Elodea

Plants perennial , of fresh waters . Rhizomes and stolons absent. Erect stems rooted in substrate, branched or unbranched, elongate . Leaves cauline, whorled , 3--7 at each node, or leaves opposite at 4+ proximalmost nodes, submersed , sessile; blade linear to linear-lanceolate, apex acute; midvein without lacunae along side(s), blade uniform in color throughout;; abaxial surfacely without prickles or aerenchyma ; intravaginal squamules entire. Inflorescences solitary, sessile; spathes not winged . Flowers unisexual , staminate and pistillate on different plants, or rarely bisexual , usually projected to surface of water by elongate floral tube base , sessile; petals white. Staminate flowers : filaments distinct or 3 inner connate ½ their length ; anthers oval ; pollen in monads or tetrads . Pistillate flowers: ovary 1-locular; styles 3, not 2-fid. Fruits ovoid to lance-ellipsoid, smooth , dehiscing irregularly. Seeds cylindric to fusiform , glabrous to hirsute .

Species 5: North America, Central America, South America, Europe.[2]

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Hydrilla verticillata (L. F.) Royle • Serpicula Verticillata • Serpicula verticillata L. F. • Udora verticillata (L. F.) Spreng. • Vallisneria Verticillata

Notes

Publishing author : F.Muell. Publication : -

Similar Species

Members of the genus Elodea

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 5 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

E. bifoliata (Two Leaf Waterweed) · E. canadensis (American Waterweed) · E. nuttallii (Nuttall Waterweed) · E. schweinitzii (Schweinitz's Elodea) · E. verticillata (Florida Elodea)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Ancibor, E. 1979. Systematic anatomy of vegetative organs of the Hydrocharitaceae. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 78: 237--266.
• Catling, P. M. and W. G. Dore. 1982. Status and identification of Hydrocharis morsus-ranae and Limnobium spongia (Hydrocharitaceae) in northeastern North America. Rhodora 84: 523--545.
• Cook, C. D. K. 1982. Pollinating mechanisms in the Hydrocharitaceae. In: J.-J. Symoens et al., eds. 1982. Studies on Aquatic Vascular Plants. Brussels. Pp. 1--15.
• Godfrey, R. K. and J. W. Wooten. 1979. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States:. Monocotyledons. Athens, Ga.
• Hartog, C. den. 1970. The Sea-grasses of the World. Amsterdam.
• Cook, C. D. K. and K. Urmi-König. 1985. A revision of the genus Elodea (Hydrocharitaceae). Aquatic Bot. 21: 111--156.
• Shinners, L. H. 1956. Elodea correct without being conserved. Rhodora 58: 162.
• St. John, H. 1962. Monograph of the genus Elodea (Hydrocharitaceae): Part I. The species found in the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific states and provinces of North America. Res. Stud. State Coll. Wash. 30(2): 19--44.
• St. John, H. 1920. The genus Elodea in New England. Rhodora 22: 17--29.
• St. John, H. 1965. Monograph of the genus Elodea: Part 4 and summary: The species of eastern and central North America. Rhodora 67: 1--â35, 155--180.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 9321811
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:70712-3
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 70712-3
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1300771

Footnotes

1. Robert R. Haynes "Hydrocharitaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 22. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. "Elodea". in Flora of North America Vol. 22. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.