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Elodea

Michx. (1803)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Monocots Order: Alismatales Family: Hydrocharitaceae Genus: Elodea

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Submerged, aquatic perennial herbs of fresh water.

Stems: Stems elongated, rooting on the bottom or drifting when broken loose.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Whorled. Blades ovate to linear. Base sessile. Sessile. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Staminate flowers 2–4 in spathes; pistillate flower 1 surrounded by a spathe split ½ down 1 side. Flowers above water at anthesis, insect–pollinated, unisexual (and the plants dioecious). Sepals 3. Petals 3, white, ca. 3 times longer than sepals in staminate flowers and ca. 2 times longer than sepals in pistillate flowers. Stamens (9)10, in staminate flowers; stamen distinct, with central 3-lobed nectary; anthers loculicidally dehiscent. staminodes 3 in pistillate flowers. Ovary inferior; ovules several per placenta; stigma 3-lobed.

Fruit: Capsules transparent. Seeds without endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Aquatic.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Accepted Subtaxa (in Hawai'i) (1)

Elodea densa (Planch.) Casp.

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Island Status

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 20 (1803)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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