Elatine hexandra

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Elatine hexandra
Elatine hexandra Newton Mere.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Elatinaceae
Genus: Elatine
Species:
E. hexandra
Binomial name
Elatine hexandra
(Lapierre) DC.]

Elatine hexandra, the six-stamened waterwort, is flowering plant of the family Elatinaceae, which grows in shallow water around lakes and pools in Europe from Ireland to Romania. It is declining due to drainage and water pollution and is therefore protected in several countries.

Contents

Description

Detail of the flower Elatine hexandra sl22.jpg
Detail of the flower

Six-stamened waterwort is a small annual to short-lived perennial herb with creeping stems up to about 8 cm long, which root at the nodes. It is entirely glabrous, with opposite pairs of elliptical to spathulate leaves about 7 mm long, which are borne on short petioles. At the tip of each leaf is a tiny, black hydathode. There are also minute stipules at the base of the leaf stalks. The stems and leaves are usually yellowy-green under water, becoming bright green or reddish when exposed on bare mud.

The flowers are usually solitary or sometimes in short cymes arising at the leaf nodes. Each flower has three (sometimes 4) sepals and the same number of pinkish-white petals. There are six stamens and 3-5 styles. The flower stalks elongate as the fruit matures, bearing a capsule with four valves. The seeds are cylindrical, brownish, up to about 0.7 mm long and slightly curved. [1] [2]

The seeds are cylindrical and slightly curved Elatine hexandra sl40.jpg
The seeds are cylindrical and slightly curved

Taxonomy

The scientific name Elatine hexandra was published by de Candolle and Lamarck in their work Flore Française (3rd edition, vol. 5, p. 609) in 1805. [3] Jean Marie Lapierre (1754-1834), in 1802, had named it Tillaea hexandra but de Candolle realised that this was the wrong genus (Tillaea is now included in Crassula ).

It has no recognised subspecies and it is not known to hybridise with any other plants. [4]

The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek word for a silver fir, Ἐλάτη (Elátē), which also means an oar, as ship parts were usually made of this light, strong wood. It probably alludes to the shape of the leaves. [5] . The specific epithet hexandra is simply Greek for "six stamens".

Distribution and status

The range of six-stamened waterwort extends throughout Europe, possibly just into North Africa and westwards to the Azores. The eastward limit is in Poland and Romania. [6] [7]

Sites where this species occur are generally lowland, although it has been found as high as 440 m at Lough Ferta in Ireland, and 425 m at Llyn Gynon in Wales. [8] An old record of it at 490 m in Scotland has never been verified. [9]

Its conservation status, globally, is Least Concern, [10] but there are regions such as Picardy and Île-de-France, where it is considered to be rare and threatened. [11]

In all the British counties where it is found, it is considered to be an axiophyte, or plant of conservation importance, owing to its affinity for low-nutrient water bodies. [12]

Habitat and ecology

Habitat of six-stamened waterwort in a sandy pool Elatine hexandra sward.jpg
Habitat of six-stamened waterwort in a sandy pool

This is a plant of clear-water lakes and pools, usually with slightly acidic water and low levels of fertility. Its Ellenberg values in Britain are L=7, F=10, R=5, N=4, and S=0. [13] It has been found at depths up to 3 m in very clear conditions, but is more normally found around in water about 10 cm deep. [2]

When growing submerged, the flowers are cleistogamous, remaining closed up and self-pollinating. When a plant is exposed on bare mud in the summer, however, the flowers open in the normal way and are pollinated by insects.

The seeds do not float, and can remain viable for many years. [2]

Uses

This is a useful plant to keep in aquariums, as it is fast-growing but small. [14]

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References

  1. ↑ Sell, Peter; Murrell, Gina (2018). Flora of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-55335-3.
  2. 1 2 3 Schou, J.C.; et al. (2023). Aquatic Plants of Northern and Central Europe including Britain and Ireland. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN   978-0-691-25101-1.
  3. ↑ "Elatine hexandra | International Plant Names Index". www.ipni.org. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  4. ↑ Stace, C.A.; Preston, C.D.; Pearman, D.A. (2015). Hybrid Flora of the British Isles. Bristol: Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland.
  5. ↑ Leighton, W.A. (1841). A Flora of Shropshire. London: John van Voorst.
  6. ↑ "Elatine hexandra (Lapierre) DC". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  7. ↑ "Elatine hexandra (Lapierre) DC. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  8. ↑ Pearman, D.A. "Altitudinal Limits of British Plants, 2021".
  9. ↑ Stewart, A.; Pearman, D.A.; Preston, C.D. (1994). Scarce Plants in Britain. Peterborough: Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
  10. ↑ "Six-stamened Waterwort, Elatine hexandra". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  11. ↑ "Élatine à six étamines". Inventaire National du Patrimoine Naturel. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  12. ↑ "Axiophytes – Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland" . Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  13. ↑ Hill, M.O.; Preston, C.D.; Roy, D.B. "PLANTATT - Attributes of British and Irish Plants - Spreadsheet". UK Biological Records Centre.
  14. ↑ "Six-stamened Waterwort". Wild Flower Web. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
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