[FWTA]
Ceratophyllaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954
- Morphology General Habit
- Aquatic submerged herbs with leafy floating branches
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves verticillate, variously divided with thread-like or linear segments
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers monoecious, solitary in the whorls, the males and females at separate nodes, sessile Male flowers: stamens 10–22, crowded on a flat torus; anthers almost sessile, erect, linear-oblong, 2-celled, cells parallel, opening lengthwise; connective produced beyond the cells, thick and often coloured Female flowers: staminodes 0; ovary sessile, ovoid, 1-celled; style continuous with the ovary
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx thinly herbaceous, many-parted into narrow subvalvate segments often dentate or lacerate at the apex
- sex Male
- Male flowers: stamens 10–22, crowded on a flat torus; anthers almost sessile, erect, linear-oblong, 2-celled, cells parallel, opening lengthwise; connective produced beyond the cells, thick and often coloured
- sex Female
- Female flowers: staminodes 0; ovary sessile, ovoid, 1-celled; style continuous with the ovary
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovule 1, pendulous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a nut, ovoid or ellipsoid
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seed pendulous; endosperm 0; embryo straight; cotyledons oblong, equal; radicle very short, the plumule already well developed and showing several leaves in the seed
[FTEA]
Ceratophyllaceae, C.M. Wilmot-Dear. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1985
- Morphology General Habit
- Aquatic herbs, monoecious, perennating by buds, usually free-floating
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves in whorls of (6–)8–11, filiform, dichotomously branched, often with few–many spine-tipped teeth on margins especially of distal segments; terminal segments truncate, 2-spined and with a central reddish terete soon deciduous projection ± 0.2 mm. long
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers axillary, 1-several per node, ? and ? at different nodes Female flowers sessile or shortly pedicellate, without staminodes; ovary solitary, superior, sessile, tapering into long style; ovule 1, pendulous Male flowers subsessile, with numerous stamens in several whorls on domed torus around pistillode; filaments very short or absent; anthers oblong, extrorse; thecae 2, parallel, dehiscing longitudinally; connective produced apically into 2 spines and a central projection as in perianth-lobes, often with 1–3 spines on margins; immature anthers much flattened, resembling perianth-lobes, later swollen, oblong, reddish projection detaching, tissues becoming gas-filled and bearing detached anther to water-surface where it becomes horizontal, dehisces and sheds pollen on to plants below
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
- Perianth of 6–13 strap-shaped or obovate lobes united at base and some united in pairs to over half their length, often with a single hyaline spine on each margin, truncate with 2 spines and a central projection as in leaves
- sex Male
- Male flowers subsessile, with numerous stamens in several whorls on domed torus around pistillode; filaments very short or absent; anthers oblong, extrorse; thecae 2, parallel, dehiscing longitudinally; connective produced apically into 2 spines and a central projection as in perianth-lobes, often with 1–3 spines on margins; immature anthers much flattened, resembling perianth-lobes, later swollen, oblong, reddish projection detaching, tissues becoming gas-filled and bearing detached anther to water-surface where it becomes horizontal, dehisces and sheds pollen on to plants below
- sex Female
- Female flowers sessile or shortly pedicellate, without staminodes; ovary solitary, superior, sessile, tapering into long style; ovule 1, pendulous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a hard nut, ovoid or ellipsoid, slightly laterally flattened, wingless and rimless, or more markedly flattened and then often with marginal longitudinal ‘rim’ or entire to dentate or spinulose wing; style ± persistent and spinose; base often with a pair of prominent spines; rest of surface often gland-dotted, spiny or warty; embryo straight; endosperm absent
- Distribution
- A worldwide family of one genus only
[FZ]
Ceratophyllaceae, C. M. Wilmot-Dear. Flora Zambesiaca 9:6. 1991
- Morphology General Habit
- Submerged aquatic, branching, usually rootless herbs, perennating by buds, monoecious
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves in whorls, filiform, once or more dichotomously branched, margins ± spinose-dentate; apical segments truncate, 2-spined at the apex with a reddish glandular projection between the spines (basal segments sometimes parasitised, becoming swollen and sac-like)
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers axillary, 1-several per node, male and female flowers at different nodes, ± sessile; perianth lobes 6–13, united at the base, strap-shaped or obovate, margin often with a single lateral hyaline spine or ± lacerate, apex as for leaf apex Female flowers sessile or shortly pedicellate; staminodes absent; ovary superior, sessile, ovoid, tapering into a long style; ovule 1, pendulous Male flowers subsessile; stamens up to c. 30 in several whorls on a domed torus around the pistillode; filaments short or absent; anthers oblong, extrorse, 2-locular, dehiscing longitudinally, connective produced apically into 2 spines and a central projection as in perianth lobes, immature anthers resembling perianth lobes, margins 1–3 spined; mature anthers detach and float to the water-surface where they dehisce and shed pollen on to plants below
- sex Male
- Male flowers subsessile; stamens up to c. 30 in several whorls on a domed torus around the pistillode; filaments short or absent; anthers oblong, extrorse, 2-locular, dehiscing longitudinally, connective produced apically into 2 spines and a central projection as in perianth lobes, immature anthers resembling perianth lobes, margins 1–3 spined; mature anthers detach and float to the water-surface where they dehisce and shed pollen on to plants below
- sex Female
- Female flowers sessile or shortly pedicellate; staminodes absent; ovary superior, sessile, ovoid, tapering into a long style; ovule 1, pendulous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a nut, ovoid or ellipsoid, often warty and basally-spined, style ± persistent, spinose
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Embryo straight, endosperm absent
[NTK]
Every, J.L.R. (2010). Neotropical Ceratophyllaceae.
- Morphology
-
Description
Submersed aquatic, rootless, glabrous herbs. Leaves whorled , simple , finely divided (often dichotomously branched), lobes often toothed, petiole inconspicuous or lacking. Inflorescences extra- axillary and alternating with leaves, spikes or racemes. Flowers solitary, unisexual, monoecious , actinomorphic , pedicels short or flowers sessile , bracts foliaceous ; calyx of (7)9-12(15) toothed sepals; corolla lacking; stamens 3-many, spirally arranged, free of perianth , filaments short, anthers adnately fixed, dehiscing via full-length slits; ovary superior , monomerous, style 1, persistent , spiny , occasionally bifid. Fruits achenes, papillose , spiny or smooth. Seeds 1, tiny.
- Distribution
-
Distribution in the Neotropics
- Throughout the Neotropics in non-marine aquatic habitats.
- General Description
-
Number of genera
- One genus Ceratophyllum L. with three of the six cosmopolitan species: C. demersum L., C. submersum L. and C. muricatum (Cham.) occurring in the Neotropics.
- Recently placed in an order of its own - the Ceratopyllales with molecular evidence positioning Ceratophyllaceae as probable sister to eudicots (APG III, 2009).
- The development and complicated make-up of the perianth has led the family to be compared with the ANITA clade (excluding Nymphales).
- Diagnostic
-
Useful tips for generic identification
- Native and naturalizing; has become a problem weed harbouring vectors of diseases threatening human health and choking the waterways in which they inhabit.
- Aquatic herbs.
- Leaves in whorls of 3-10.
- Roots lacking.
- Stamens ca. 3-45.
- Styles persistent on fruits.
- Distinguished from Myriophyllum L. (Haloragaceae) by the branched leaves and achenefruit.
- Literature
- Important literature Akitoshi, I., Akiko, S. and Hideaki, O.2003. Floral development and phyllotactic variation in Ceratophyllumdemersum (Ceratophyllaceae). American Journal of Botany 90(8):1124-1130.APG III. 2009. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161(3): 105-121.Campbell, L. M. 2004. In: Smith, N., Mori, S. A., Henderson, A., Stevenson, D. W. and Heald, S. V. (eds). Flowering Plants of the Neotropics. Pp. 96-7. The New York Botanical Garden, Princeton University Press, Princeton.Les, D. 1993. In: Kubitzki, K., Rohwer, J. G., & Bittrich, V. (eds.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants vol. II. Flowering Plants: Dicotyledons, Magnoliid, Hamamelid and Caryophyllid Families. Pp 246-250. Springer Verlag, Berlin.Mabberley, D. J. 2008. Mabberley's Plant-book. 3rd ed. Pp. 168-9. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Stevens, P. F. 2008. Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9 onwards. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/. Watson, L. and Dallwitz, M.J. (1992 onwards). The Families of Flowering Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version 3rd March 2009. http://delta-intkey.com.
Ceratophyllaceae Gray appears in other Kew resources:
First published in Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. 2: 395, 554. 1822 [10 Jan 1822] (1822)
Accepted by
- APG IV (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385
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Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
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
-
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
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Neotropikey
Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0