Alisma lanceolatum
Encyclopedia
Alisma lanceolatum is a species of aquatic plant
in the water plantain family
known by the common name lanceleaf water plantain, and also Narrow leaved water plantain. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa and it is present in many other parts of the world as an introduced species
, and in some cases, a serious noxious weed.
This species is a weed of rice fields
in many areas, including New South Wales
and California
.
In England
and Wales
it is occasionally locally found, in Ireland
it is rare, and Scotland
it is very rare.
It is found in mud and in fresh waters.
in the water or mud. It produces lance-shaped leaves 12 to 20 centimeters long and 4 wide on long petioles
; leaves which remain submerged in water are smaller and less prominently veined. The inflorescence
is mostly erect and up to half a meter tall.
It is a wide array of small pink-petalled flowers, which open in the morning, from June until August. The fruit is a tiny achene
up to 2 or 3 millimeters long clustered into an aggregate fruit of about 20 units.
leaf tips are acute and not tapered to a stalk.
Aquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...
in the water plantain family
Alismataceae
The water-plantains are a family of flowering plants, comprising 11 genera and between 85-95 species. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the greatest number of species in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
known by the common name lanceleaf water plantain, and also Narrow leaved water plantain. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa and it is present in many other parts of the world as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
, and in some cases, a serious noxious weed.
This species is a weed of rice fields
Paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
in many areas, including New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
In England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
it is occasionally locally found, in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
it is rare, and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
it is very rare.
It is found in mud and in fresh waters.
Description
This is a perennial herb growing from a caudexCaudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
in the water or mud. It produces lance-shaped leaves 12 to 20 centimeters long and 4 wide on long petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
; leaves which remain submerged in water are smaller and less prominently veined. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is mostly erect and up to half a meter tall.
It is a wide array of small pink-petalled flowers, which open in the morning, from June until August. The fruit is a tiny achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
up to 2 or 3 millimeters long clustered into an aggregate fruit of about 20 units.
Similar Species
Water plantain Alisma plantago-aquaticaAlisma plantago-aquatica
The Common Water-plantain , also known as Mad-dog weed, is a perennial flowering plant native to most of the Northern Hemisphere, in Europe, northern Asia, and North America. It is found on mud or in fresh waters....
leaf tips are acute and not tapered to a stalk.