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This species is accepted, and its native range is Tropical & S. Africa, Madagascar.

[FTEA]

Hydrocharitaceae, David Simpson. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Habit
Hermaphrodite, annual, rarely perennial.
Stem
Stems erect, corm-like, simple or rarely forked.
Leaves
Mature leaves petiolate; blade submerged or floating, linear-elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 8–45 cm. long, 0.9–11.5 cm. wide, acute to obtuse, cuneate at base, smooth, light to mid-green, with 5–13 prominent longitudinal veins connected by cross-veins, together with many smaller longitudinal veins; margins entire; petiole 6.2–100 cm. long, 0.2–0.8 cm. wide. Juvenile leaves not seen.
Scales
Nodal scales not seen.
Bracts
Spathe:peduncle 4.2–60 cm. long, 0.3–0.7 cm. wide; body of spathe submerged, not or slightly inflated, linear-oblong, elliptic, ovate or urceolate, 2–5.6(–6) cm. long, 0.4–2.7(–2.8) cm. wide, 2–6-lobed at the apex, with 0–2 wings and several longitudinal ribs or veins, green, somewhat translucent.
Flowers
Flowers 1 per spathe.
Calyx
Sepals linear to linear-lanceolate or linear-oblong, 0.65–1.37(–2) cm. long, 1.6–5.3 mm. wide, acute to obtuse, whitish or green, often with brown longitudinal striations, the margins hyaline.
Corolla
Petals obovate, 1.2–2.3(–3) cm. long, 0.8–1 cm. wide, rounded or somewhat truncate, white, white with yellow base, or yellow.
Stamens
Stamens 3–6; anthers 1.5–2.3 (–3) mm. long, yellow; filaments up to 6.5 mm. long.
Pistil
Ovary of 3–6 carpels, narrowly ellipsoid, 1–1.8 cm. long 0.3–0.4 cm. wide; perianth-tube up to 0.7 cm. long; styles 3–6; stigmas 6–12, up to 20 mm. long, yellowish.
Fruits
Fruit narrowly ellipsoid to ovoid or cylindric, 2–4 cm. long, 1–1.3 cm. wide, green, opening by decay of the pericarp.
Seeds
Seeds narrowly cylindric, 2.1–2.5 mm. long, 0.5–0.7 mm. wide, dark brown.
Figures
Fig. 6.
Habitat
Still or slow-moving water up to 2 m. depth; 10–2700 m.
Distribution
K3 K4 K5 K6 T1 T2 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 U2 U3 also widespread throughout most of tropical Africa

[FWTA]

Hydrocharitaceae, F. N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Habit
A submerged aquatic
Ecology
In muddy pools
Leaves
Leaves often purple-tinged
Flowers
Flowers just above water-level, yellow or white (dried specimens always appear to be yellow).

Native to:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Caprivi Strip, Central African Repu, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

English
Water lettuce

Ottelia ulvifolia (Planch.) Walp. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Apr 1, 2001 Cheek, M. [9362], Cameroon K000025716
Nov 1, 1999 Cheek, M. [8581], Cameroon K000678181
Jan 1, 1946 Hagerup, O. [420], Mali K000385964
Jan 1, 1931 Bojer [s.n.], Madagascar K000346025
Greenway, P.J. [11539], Tanzania 27995.000
Richards [4429], Zambia 10026.000
Richards [5738], Zambia 22384.000
Richards [5727], Zambia 22385.000
Jordan, H.D. [1076], Sierra Leone 27179.000
McClintock [75], Cameroon 11100.000
Hepper, F.N. [2677], Sierra Leone 26550.000
Hepper, F.N. [1544], Nigeria 27181.000
Duke, B.O.L. [9], Gambia 22386.000
Schweinfurth, G. [3638] K000400566 Unknown type material
Baum. H. [858], Angola K000346023
Lyell [149], Madagascar K000346024 Unknown type material
Davey, J.T. [40], Mali K000385963

First published in Ann. Bot. Syst. 3: 510 (1852)

Accepted by

  • Symoens, J.-J. & Sosef, M.S.M. (2015). Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre - Rwanda - Burundi), n.s., Hydrocharitaceae: 1-47. Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, Meise.
  • Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Lejoy, J., Ndjele, M.-B. & Geerinck, D. (2010). Catalogue-flore des plantes vasculaires des districts de Kisangani et de la Tshopo (RD Congo) Taxonomania. Revue de Taxonomie et de Nomenclature Botaniques 30: 1-307.
  • Timberlake, J.R. & Martins, E.S. (eds.) (2009). Flora Zambesiaca 12(2): 1-208. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Lisowski, S. (2009). Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée Scripta Botanica Belgica 41: 1-517.
  • Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.
  • Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
  • Catarino, L., Sampaio Martins, E., Pinto-Basto, M.F. & Diniz, M.A. (2006). Plantas Vasculares e Briófitos da Guiné-Bissau: 1-298. Instituto de investigação científica tropical, Instituto Português de apoio ao desenvolvimento.
  • Sita, P. & Moutsambote, J.-M. (2005). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Congo, ed. sept. 2005: 1-158. ORSTOM, Centre de Brazzaville.
  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Edwards, S., Demissew, S. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (1997). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 6: 1-586. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Jones, M. (1991). A checklist of Gambian plants: 1-33. Michael Jones, The Gambia College.
  • Simpson, D. (1989). Hydrocharitaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-29.
  • Troupin, G. (ed.) (1988). Flora du Rwanda 4: 1-651. Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale.
  • Symoens, J.J. & Villiers, J.-F. (1984). Alismatidées, Flagellariacées Flore du Cameroun 26: 1-84. Ministère de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche scientifique (Mesres), Yaoundé.
  • Brunel, J.F., Hiepo, P. & Scholz, H. (eds.) (1984). Flore Analytique du Togo Phanérogames: 1-751. GTZ, Eschborn.
  • Peyre de Fabregues, B. & Lebrun, J.-P. (1976). Catalogue des Plantes Vascularies du Niger: 1-433. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Lebrun, J.-P., Audru, J., Gaston, A. & Mosnier, M. (1972). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Tchad Méridional: 1-289. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Andrews, F.W. (1956). The Flowering Plants of the Sudan 3: 1-579. T.Buncle & co., LTD., Arbroath, Scotland.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • Obermeyer in Fl. S. Afr. 1: 109, fig. 35, 1 (1966).
  • Berhaut, Fl. Sén. 185
  • Ann. 3: 510 (1853)

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Symoens, J.-J. & Sosef, M.S.M. (2015). Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre - Rwanda - Burundi), n.s., Hydrocharitaceae: 1-47. Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, Meise.
  • Lejoy, J., Ndjele, M.-B. & Geerinck, D. (2010). Catalogue-flore des plantes vasculaires des districts de Kisangani et de la Tshopo (RD Congo) Taxonomania. Revue de Taxonomie et de Nomenclature Botaniques 30: 1-307.
  • Timberlake, J.R. & Martins, E.S. (eds.) (2009). Flora Zambesiaca 12(2): 1-208. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Lisowski, S. (2009). Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée Scripta Botanica Belgica 41: 1-517.
  • Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.
  • Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
  • Sita, P. & Moutsambote, J.-M. (2005). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Congo, ed. sept. 2005: 1-158. ORSTOM, Centre de Brazzaville.
  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Edwards, S., Demissew, S. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (1997). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 6: 1-586. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Lebrun, J.P., Toutain, B., Gaston, A. & Boudet, G. (1991). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Burkina Faso: 1-341. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Simpson, D. (1989). Hydrocharitaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-29.
  • Troupin, G. (ed.) (1988). Flora du Rwanda 4: 1-651. Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale.
  • Brunel, J.F., Hiepo, P. & Scholz, H. (eds.) (1984). Flore Analytique du Togo Phanérogames: 1-751. GTZ, Eschborn.
  • Lebrun, J.-P., Audru, J., Gaston, A. & Mosnier, M. (1972). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Tchad Méridional: 1-289. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Hepper, F.N. (ed.) (1968). Flora of West Tropical Africa, ed. 2, 3(1): 1-276.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Blundell, Wild Fl. E. Afr.: 410, t. 244 (1987).
  • Symoens in Fl. Cameroun 26: 35, t. 9 (1984).
  • A.D.Q. Agnew, Upland Kenya Wild Flowers p. 649 (1974).
  • E. Lind & A. Tallantire, Some Common Flowering Plants of Uganda, ed. 2: 192 (1971).
  • Hepper in Flora of West Tropical Africa, ed. 2, 3: 7, t. 16 (1968).
  • Walp. in Ann. Bot. Syst. 3:510 (1852).

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
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Flora of West Tropical Africa
Flora of West Tropical Africa
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Plants and People Africa
Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
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