Aquatic plants are vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes (phytoplanktons). In lakes, rivers and wetlands, aquatic vegetations provide cover for aquatic animals such as fish, amphibians and aquatic insects, create substrate for benthic invertebrates, produce oxygen via photosynthesis, and serve as food for some herbivorous wildlife. Familiar examples of aquatic plants include waterlily, lotus, duckweeds, mosquito fern, floating heart, water milfoils, mare's tail, water lettuce and water hyacinth.
Alisma is a genus of flowering plants in the family Alismataceae, members of which are commonly known as water-plantains. The genus consists of aquatic plants with leaves either floating or submerged, found in a variety of still water habitats around the world. The flowers are hermaphrodite, and are arranged in panicles, racemes, or umbels. Alisma flowers have six stamens, numerous free carpels in a single whorl, each with 1 ovule, and subventral styles. The fruit is an achene with a short beak.
The water-plantains (Alismataceae) are a family of flowering plants, comprising 20 genera and 119 species. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the greatest number of species in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Most of the species are herbaceous aquatic plants growing in marshes and ponds.
Ipomoea aquatica, widely known as water spinach, is a semi-aquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots. I. aquatica is generally believed to have been first domesticated in Southeast Asia. It is widely cultivated in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and South Asia. It grows abundantly near waterways and requires little to no care.
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of pistils and is typically surrounded by the pollen-producing reproductive organs, the stamens, collectively called the androecium. The gynoecium is often referred to as the "female" portion of the flower, although rather than directly producing female gametes, the gynoecium produces megaspores, each of which develops into a female gametophyte which then produces egg cells.
Luronium natans is a species of aquatic plant commonly known as the floating water-plantain. It is the only recognized species in the genus Luronium, native to western and central Europe, from Spain to Britain to Norway east to Ukraine.
Brasenia is a genus belonging to the family Cabombaceae, consisting of one species, Brasenia schreberi, commonly known as watershield. It is widely distributed in North America, the West Indies, northern South America, eastern Asia, Australia, the Indian Subcontinent, and parts of Africa.
Cabomba is an aquatic plant genus, one of two belonging to the family Cabombaceae. It has divided submerged leaves in the shape of a fan and is much favoured by aquarists as an ornamental and oxygenating plant for fish tanks. One species, Cabomba caroliniana, is a nationally declared weed in Australia, where it has choked up waterways after escaping from aquaria.
This page provides a glossary of plant morphology. Botanists and other biologists who study plant morphology use a number of different terms to classify and identify plant organs and parts that can be observed using no more than a handheld magnifying lens. This page provides help in understanding the numerous other pages describing plants by their various taxa. The accompanying page—Plant morphology—provides an overview of the science of the external form of plants. There is also an alphabetical list: Glossary of botanical terms. In contrast, this page deals with botanical terms in a systematic manner, with some illustrations, and organized by plant anatomy and function in plant physiology.
Ceratophyllum demersum, commonly known as hornwort, rigid hornwort, coontail, or coon's tail, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ceratophyllum. It is a submerged, free-floating aquatic plant, with a cosmopolitan distribution, native to all continents except Antarctica. It is a harmful weed introduced in New Zealand. It is also a popular aquarium plant. Its genome has been sequenced to study angiosperm evolution.
Cabomba caroliniana, commonly known as Carolina fanwort and various other names, is an aquatic perennial herbaceous plant native to North and South America. Having been a popular aquarium plant, it has been exported around the world, and has become an invasive species in Europe and Australia.
Cabomba furcata is a species of aquatic plant in the water shield family known by the common names red cabomba and forked fanwort. It is native to Central and South America and as far north as Cuba and the tip of Florida. It reaches a maximum height between 30 and 80 centimetres and is up to 8 centimetres (3.1 in) wide. It bears purple flowers.
Nymphoides aquatica is an aquatic plant in the Menyanthaceae, native to the southeastern United States from Texas to Maryland. It is known variously as the banana plant, banana lily, and the big floatingheart. It is most commonly called the banana plant because of its banana-shaped roots. These unusual roots store nutrients.
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary of leaf morphology. For other related terms, see Glossary of phytopathology, Glossary of lichen terms, and List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names.
Aponogeton abyssinicus is an amphibious plant found in east and central Africa, from Ethiopia to Malawi and Zaire. Root stock tuberous or oblong, up to 2.5 cm diameter. Submersed leaves initially strap-shaped, up to 12 cm long and 6 mm wide, continuing lanceolate to obovate, up to 8.5 cm long, 2.6 cm wide and up to 10 cm long petiolate. Blade thin and slightly transparent, with a narrowing or decurrent base and acute or obtuse apex. Adults floating, up to 50 cm long petiolate. Floating leaf blade linear to ovoid, rarely cordate, up to 16 cm long and 5 cm wide, usually considerably smaller. Emersed leaves shaped like the floating leaves, slightly leathery and shorter petiolate. Peduncle up to 45 cm long, angled, dark red to green coloration, slightly pubescent underwater, almost glabrous above water, not swollen under the inflorescence. Spathe 1.0-1.6 cm long, caducous. Inflorescence featuring two 1.5-5-cm long spikes with omni-lateral flowers; 2 tepals, violet or white coloration; 6 stamens ; 3 carpels. Fruit up to 7 x 2.75 mm large, with (4-) 7-10 seeds, sized 1-2 x 0.75 mm, double testa.
Myriophyllum alterniflorum, known as alternate water-milfoil or alternateflower watermilfoil, is a species of water-milfoil. It is native to Europe and Asia,has been introduced to North America and inhabits aquatic habitat, such as ponds and streams.
Cabomba haynesii is a species of aquatic plant in the family Cabombaceae native to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
Cabomba palaeformis is a species of aquatic plant in the family Cabombaceae native to Mexico and Central America.
Cabomba schwartzii is a species of aquatic plant in the family Cabombaceae endemic to North Brazil.
