Family:
Aponogetonaceae Planch.

Aponogeton L.f.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Tropical & S. Africa to N. Australia.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Perennial glabrous freshwater herbs from starch-rich rhizome or tuber.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves basal, simple, usually long-petiolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence usually a simple or 2-branched spike, at first enclosed in a thin spathe.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bisexual or more rarely unisexual, usually irregular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Tepals 1–6 or absent, petal-like, free.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens usually 6, free; filaments narrow; anthers 2-thecous, longitudinally dehiscent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Carpels
Carpels superior, usually 3–6, free or slightly united at the base, 1-celled; ovules 1–14; style short.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a 1–several-seeded follicle. Seeds with a straight embryo, without endosperm.
Distribution
Genus of about 60 species in tropical and subtropical parts of the Old World.
Note
Records from Somalia of A. desertorum Zeyh. ex Spreng. f. and A. subconjugatus Schumach. & Thonn. in Cuf. Enum.: 1202 (1968) are based on material of A. abyssinicus var. cordatus.

[FWTA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Aquatics

[FTEA]

Aponogetonaceae, K.A. Lye (Agricultural University of Norway). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Small to medium-sized perennial herbs growing in seasonally wet soil or submerged in temporary pools or similar habitats, rarely in permanent water; leaf-blades and flowers often floating on the surface of the water
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers
Tuber globular to oval or more irregular in shape, usually grey to brown with very numerous roots from upper part Leaves usually with a long petiole and a distinct blade with a few parallel primary veins and numerous transverse secondary veins, but in some species, e.g. A. vallisnerioides, the leaf-blade is linear
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence with spirally or unilaterally arranged flowers in a loose or dense simple or bifid spike; spathe present, but usually very early caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers with white, yellow, mauve or bluish-violet petal-like appendages (tepals), rarely with tepals lacking
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with yellowish or brown anthers often early turning blackish; connnective sometimes protruding into a conical appendage; pollen-grains monosulcate, borne in monads
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovaries green, blue or lilac
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Follicles bottle-shaped with a distinct beak, containing 1–12 rounded to fusiform seeds, which are often prominendy longitudinally ribbed.

Doubtfully present in:

Nepal, West Himalaya

Native to:

Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Botswana, Burkina, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Caprivi Strip, Central African Repu, Chad, China South-Central, China Southeast, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, East Himalaya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Free State, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Hainan, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Guinea, New South Wales, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Queensland, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Western Australia, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

California, France, Great Britain, Mauritius, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Victoria

Aponogeton L.f. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Suppl. Pl.: 32 (1782)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 1-529. MIM, Deurne.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • F.T.A. 8: 216
  • K. Krause & Engl. in Engl., Pflanzenr. 4, 13: 9 (1906).
  • Suppl. 32 (1781)

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 4, (1995) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Bibl. Bot. 33, 137: 1 (1985), nom. conserv.
  • Engl. in E. & P. Pf. II. 1: 218 (1889)
  • H. Bruggen in B.J.B.B. 43: 193 (1973)
  • K. Krause in E.P. IV. 13: 9 (1906)
  • Suppl. Pl.: 32 (1781)

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    Flora of West Tropical Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China

    The Malesian Key Group (2010) Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China (Version 2.0, 28 Jul 2010) The Nationaal Herbarium Nederland Leiden and The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. 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 2022. 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