Hydrocharitaceae
Elodea

Elodea densa (Planch.) Casp.

First published in Monatsber. Königl. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1857: 49 (1857)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Bolivia to SE. & S. Brazil and NE. Argentina. It is a hydrosubshrub and grows primarily in the subtropical biome. It is has environmental uses.

Descriptions

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1480–2246 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Boyacá, Cundinamarca.
Habit
Herb, Aquatic.
[UPFC]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Distribution
Found in Boyacá, Colombia.
[UPFC]

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Conservation
Not Evaluated.
Morphology General Habit
Aquatic herb.
Ecology
Alt. 1480 - 2246 m.
Distribution
Native from Colombia.
[UPB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Stems 0.9–3 mm. in diameter, whitish or green.
Morphology Leaves Scale leaves
Scale-like leaves ovate, 1.5–2.5 mm. long, 1.5–2.5 mm. wide, light green or brownish.
Morphology Leaves
All other leaves in whorls of 2–5, linear-lanceolate to narrowly oblong, narrowly acute to subobtuse, 1.5–4 cm. long, 0.15–4.8 mm. wide, light to mid-green.
sex Male
Male flowers:pedicel up to 80 mm. long; sepals ovate to widely ovate, 2.2–3.5(–5) mm. long, 1.5–2.2(–3) mm. wide, greenish; petals elliptic to orbicular, 6–8(–10) mm. long, 3–8 mm. wide, white; stamens up to 6 mm. long; anthers 0.6–0.7(–1.8) mm. long, yellow; filaments club-shaped, contracted below anthers, papillose above, (0.8–)1.1–1.3(–4.5) mm. long, yellow; nectaries ± 0.8 mm. in diameter, the lateral lobes as long as or longer than the central lobes. Male spathe 7.5–13 mm. long, 1.2–4 mm. wide, greenish white, tinged with pink, somewhat translucent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Female spathe 9–14 mm. long, 2–4 mm. wide. Male spathe 7.5–13 mm. long, 1.2–4 mm. wide, greenish white, tinged with pink, somewhat translucent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flower:sepals ovate to widely ovate, 3–4 mm. long, 1.6–3 mm. wide, green; petals widely elliptic to suborbicular, 4–8.5 mm. long, 4–7 mm. wide; staminodes 3, linear, papillose, 0.9–2.4 mm. long, yellow to reddish orange; ovary 2–3 mm. long, 1.1–2.2 mm. wide, containing ± 6 ovules; perianth-tube up to 40 mm. or more long; stigmas 2.4–3.8 mm. long, deeply 2-lobed. Male flowers:pedicel up to 80 mm. long; sepals ovate to widely ovate, 2.2–3.5(–5) mm. long, 1.5–2.2(–3) mm. wide, greenish; petals elliptic to orbicular, 6–8(–10) mm. long, 3–8 mm. wide, white; stamens up to 6 mm. long; anthers 0.6–0.7(–1.8) mm. long, yellow; filaments club-shaped, contracted below anthers, papillose above, (0.8–)1.1–1.3(–4.5) mm. long, yellow; nectaries ± 0.8 mm. in diameter, the lateral lobes as long as or longer than the central lobes.
sex Female
Female flower:sepals ovate to widely ovate, 3–4 mm. long, 1.6–3 mm. wide, green; petals widely elliptic to suborbicular, 4–8.5 mm. long, 4–7 mm. wide; staminodes 3, linear, papillose, 0.9–2.4 mm. long, yellow to reddish orange; ovary 2–3 mm. long, 1.1–2.2 mm. wide, containing ± 6 ovules; perianth-tube up to 40 mm. or more long; stigmas 2.4–3.8 mm. long, deeply 2-lobed. Female spathe 9–14 mm. long, 2–4 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 11.5–14.5 mm. long, 4–5.5 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds narrowly ellipsoid, 7.2 mm. long, ± 2 mm. wide, brown.
Figures
Fig. 3.
Habitat
Still or slow-flowing freshwater; 360–2400 m.
Distribution
K1 K3 K4 U4 North America, South America
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 1480 - 2246 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba, acuática
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Uses

Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
[UPFC]

Use Environmental
Environmental uses (State of the World's Plants 2016).
[UPB]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • 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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0