Heteranthera
Encyclopedia
Heteranthera is a genus of aquatic plant
s in the water hyacinth
family, Pontederiaceae
, known generally as mud plantains. Species of this genus are native to tropical and subtropical America
and Africa
. They live in the water or in wet soils. They produce leaves on long petioles
and some are cultivated for their attractive flowers. Leaves are of two types - linear and submerged or orbicular and floating. Some species have cleistogamic
flowers.
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...
s in the water hyacinth
Water hyacinth
The seven species of water hyacinth comprise the genus Eichhornia. Water hyacinth are a free-floating perennial aquatic plant native to tropical and sub-tropical South America. With broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water as much as 1 meter in...
family, Pontederiaceae
Pontederiaceae
Pontederiaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants.The APG II system, of 2003 places the family in the order Commelinales, in the commelinid clade, in the monocots. It is a small family of heterostylous aquatic plants, occurring in tropical and subtropical waters...
, known generally as mud plantains. Species of this genus are native to tropical and subtropical America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. They live in the water or in wet soils. They produce leaves 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...
and some are cultivated for their attractive flowers. Leaves are of two types - linear and submerged or orbicular and floating. Some species have cleistogamic
Cleistogamy
Cleistogamy or automatic self-pollination describes the trait of certain plants to propagate by using non-opening, self-pollinating flowers...
flowers.
Selected species
- Heteranthera callifolia (syn. H. callaefolia)
- Heteranthera dubiaHeteranthera dubiaHeteranthera dubia is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names water stargrass and grassleaf mudplantain. It is native to North and Central America where it is widespread from Canada to Guatemala. It lives submersed in freshwater such as rivers and lakes. It is quite variable in...
(Jacq.Nikolaus Joseph von JacquinNikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin or Baron Nikolaus von Jacquin. was a scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany....
) MacMill. – Grassleaf Mud Plantain, Water Stargrass - Heteranthera limosaHeteranthera limosaThe aquatic plant Heteranthera limosa is a member of the water hyacinth family known by the common names ducksalad and blue mudplantain. It is considered a threatened species in parts of the central United States, and an invasive species weed in California, where it is a nuisance in rice paddies...
(Sw.Olof SwartzOlof Peter Swartz was a Swedish botanist and taxonomist. He is best known for his taxonomic work and studies into pteridophytes...
) Willd.Carl Ludwig WilldenowCarl Ludwig Willdenow was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants...
– Blue Mud Plantain, Ducksalad - Heteranthera mexicana S.WatsonSereno WatsonSereno Watson was an American botanist.Graduating from Yale in 1847, he drifted through various occupations until, in California, he joined the Clarence King Expedition and eventually became its expedition botanist...
– Mexican Mud Plantain - Heteranthera multiflora (Griseb.) Horn – Bouquet Mud Plantain
- Heteranthera peduncularis Benth. – Egret Mud Plantain
- Heteranthera reniformis Ruiz & Pav.Ruiz y Pavón-Ruiz et Pavón:Ruiz y Pavón Spanish form of the combination Ruiz et Pavón, as used as authority in plant species.-Joseph Pavón:Jose Antonio Pavón y Jimenez Spanish botanist, with Hipólito Ruiz López and the French specialist Dombey visited between 1779 and 1788 Chile, Peru and other South American...
– Kidneyleaf Mud Plantain - Heteranthera rotundifolia (Kunth) Griseb. – Roundleaf Mud Plantain
- Heteranthera zosterifolia – Stargrass