| Hydrocharis spongia | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Hydrocharitaceae |
| Genus: | Hydrocharis |
| Species: | H. spongia |
| Binomial name | |
| Hydrocharis spongia | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Hydrocharis spongia, commonly known as the American frogbit or the American spongeplant, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrocharitaceae. [1] It is native to the central and southeastern United States, where it grows in the Lower Mississippi Valley as far north as Illinois, and on the Southern Coastal Plain from Texas to Delaware. [1] [2] It is occasionally found elsewhere as a waif. [3] It grows in the slow-moving water of streams, bayous, and lakes from sea level up to 100 meters elevation. [2]
The plants are herbaceous, growing up to 50 cm long. Heart-shaped or nearly rounded leaves are floating or emersed, 1–3 in (2–7 cm) in diameter. The leaves have two forms, often on the same plant. Floating leaves have a thick layer of spongy aerenchyma on the underside, while the emerged leaves lack the aerenchyma. Plants are mostly dioecious and sometimes monoecious and flower in summer and fall, mostly on plants with emersed leaves. Fruits are 4 to 12 mm diameter form from pistillate flowers, and once pollinated the peduncle becomes recurved to push the developing fruit below the water surface. [2]
