Callitriche palustris

Callitriche palustris
Water-starwort (Callitriche palustris) from Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Plantaginaceae
Genus:	Callitriche
Species:	C. palustris
Binomial name
Callitriche palustris L.
Subspecies and varieties [1]
6; see text
Synonyms [1]
List Callitriche androgyna L. Callitriche fontana Scop. Callitriche minima (L.) Hoppe Callitriche palustris var. minima L. Callitriche sessilis var. minima (L.) Mérat Callitriche verna var. fontana Rchb. Callitriche verna f. fontana Soó Callitriche verna var. leptophylla Wimm. & Grab. Callitriche verna subvar. minima (L.) Nyman Callitriche verna var. minima (L.) Hartm. Callitriche verna f. minima (L.) Beger Callitriche vernalis var. minima (L.) Lange Stellaria palustris (L.) Kuntze Stellaria palustris f. minima (L.) Kuntze

Callitriche palustris, the vernal water-starwort, ^[2] narrow-fruited water-starwort, ^[3] or spiny water starwort, is a species of aquatic plants. It is the type species of its genus.

It is native to temperate and subtropical North America and Eurasia, as well as Sumatra and Borneo. ^[1]

Taxonomy

Callitriche palustris was given its scientific name in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus. It is classifed in the genus Callitriche within the wider family Plantaginaceae. ^[1]

Subspecies and varieties

There is one subspecies and five accepted varieties. ^[1]

• Callitriche palustris var. elegans(Petrov) Y.L.Chang – southeastern and northeastern China, Japan, Sakhalin, and East European Russia. It was classified as a variety in 1977 by Yui Liang Chang. ^[4]
• Callitriche palustris var. megalataLansdown – Russian Far East (Primorye). It was described in 2006 by Richard V. Lansdown. ^[5]
• Callitriche palustris var. oryzetorum(Petrov) Lansdown – southern China, Taiwan, Japan, and western Himalayas. It was changed to a variety in 2006 by Lansdown. ^[6]
• Callitriche palustris subsp. palustris – North America (except the southeastern US and Central America) and temperate Eurasia ^[7]
• Callitriche palustris var. strumosaLansdown – Borneo and Sumatra. It was also described in 2006 by Lansdown. ^[8]
• Callitriche palustris subsp. subanceps(Petrov) Kuvaev – eastern Siberia and Russian Far East. Like the varieties, it was reduced to a subspecies in 2006, but by Vladimir Borisovich Kuvaev. ^[9]

There are 89 synonyms of the species or three of its varieties and the accepted subspecies, 29 of them are species names. ^{[1] [4] [6] [7] [9]}

Table of Synonyms

Name	Year	Rank	Synonym of:	Notes
Callitriche alpinaSchur	1858	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche androgynaL.	1755	species	C. palustris	≡ hom., nom. illeg.
Callitriche angustifoliaHoppe	1792	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche aquaticaHuds.	1778	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche bengalensisPetrov	1928	species	var. elegans	= het.
Callitriche bifida(L.) Morong	1894	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche cespitosaSchultz	1806	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche cuneifoliaA.Braun ex Hegelm.	1867	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche elegansPetrov	1928	species	var. elegans	≡ hom.
Callitriche euvernaSyme	1868	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche fallaxPetrov	1928	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche fissaLej.	1825	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche fontanaScop.	1771	species	C. palustris	≡ hom., nom. superfl.
Callitriche intermediaHoppe	1792	species	var. palustris	= het., nom. illeg.
Callitriche latifoliaGilib.	1792	species	var. palustris	= het., opus utique oppr.
Callitriche minima(L.) Hoppe	1792	species	C. palustris	≡ hom.
Callitriche oryzetorumPetrov	1928	species	var. oryzetorum	≡ hom.
Callitriche pallensGoldb.	1817	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche stellataHoppe	1792	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche stenocarpaHegelm.	1868	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche subancepsPetrov	1928	species	subsp. subanceps	≡ hom.
Callitriche tenuifoliaThuill. ex Pers.	1805	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche vernaL.	1755	species	var. palustris	= het.
Callitriche vernalisW.D.J.Koch	1836	species	var. palustris	= het., nom. illeg.
Callitriche vernalisKütz.	1832	species	var. palustris	= het.
Elatine alataRostk. & Schmidt	1824	species	var. palustris	= het.
Stellaria bifida(L.) Kuntze	1898	species	var. palustris	= het.
Stellaria palustris(L.) Kuntze	1898	species	C. palustris	≡ hom., nom. illeg.
Stellaria verna(L.) F.H.Wigg.	1780	species	var. palustris	= het.
Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym

References

1. POWO (2026). "Callitriche palustris L." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 January 2026.
2. NRCS. "Callitriche palustris". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 13 February 2017.
3. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
4. POWO (2026). "Callitriche palustris var. elegans (Petrov) Y.L.Chang". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 January 2026.
5. POWO (2026). "Callitriche palustris var. megalata Lansdown". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 January 2026.
6. POWO (2026). "Callitriche palustris var. oryzetorum (Petrov) Lansdown". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 January 2026.
7. POWO (2026). "Callitriche palustris subsp. palustris". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 January 2026.
8. POWO (2026). "Callitriche palustris var. strumosa Lansdown". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 January 2026.
9. POWO (2026). "Callitriche palustris subsp. subanceps (Petrov) Kuvaev". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 January 2026.

External links

• Media related to Callitriche palustris at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Callitriche palustris at Wikispecies
• Callitriche palustris at Tropicos