You are here
Species
Hygrophila
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records:2771
Specimens with Sequences:2549
Specimens with Barcodes:2012
Species:262
Species With Barcodes:253
Public Records:2354
Public Species:234
Public BINs:153
"Viscid aromatic herbs; stem erect or ascending, rooting at nodes. Leaves opposite, subsessile, dimorphic, submerged leaves 5-6 x 3-4 cm, pinnately or bipinnately dissected, minutely hairy above, glabrescent beneath; aerial leaves 4-5 x 2-3 cm, obovate to suborbicular, obtuse, serrate-dentate, lateral nerves 6-7 pairs, densely glandular hairy above, sparcely hairy on nerves beneath. Flowers axillary. Calyx 8 mm long, lobes 5, linear-lanceolate, equal, glandular hairy. Corolla pale blue with a purple palate, 1.3 cm long, bilabiate, lower lip pubescent, shortly 3-lobed at apex, upper lip shortly 2-lobed, each lobe minutely 2-fid. Stamens 4, didynamous; filaments hairy at base; anthers 2 mm long, purplish. Style filiform, pubescent, 3 mm long; stigma 2-fid; Capsule up to 6-8 mm; seeds many, small, brownish."
Habit: Herb
Annual or perennial herbs. Leaves opposite, ovate to linear, entire, sessile. Flowers solitary or in axillary clusters, bisexual, zygomorphic. Bracts resembling leaves. Bracteoles 0. Calyx deeply 5-lobed, sometimes one lobe longer and broader than the others. Corolla 2-lipped, tube cylindric below, upper lip 2-lobed with lobes recurved, lower lip 3-lobed, lobes sometimes reflexed. Stamens 4, didynamous. Fruit a linear capsule.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings, Flora of Zimbabwe |
Source | http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1326 |
Along the sides of water courses
Hygrophila, commonly known as swampweeds,[1][2] is a genus of flowering plants in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. There are about 80[3] to 100[4][5] species, of which many are aquatic plants. The genus is distributed across the tropical and subtropical world.[3][4] It is one of only two genera in its family that contains aquatic plants, the other being Justicia. The genus is treated in the tribe Hygrophileae, which is noted as being in need of revision at the genus level, meaning the current taxonomic boundaries of Hygrophila are likely to change in the future.[6]
Description[edit]
The leaves are either homomorphic, all with one form, or heteromorphic, with different forms on one plant. Homomorphic leaves are always simple and entire. Plants with heteromorphic leaves generally have pinnately divided basal leaves with either filiform (feather-like) or linear segments, and undivided leaves higher on the stem.[6]
The flowers have white to purple corollas with either 5 equal lobes or 2 lips. A lipped corolla has an erect, concave upper lip with two lobes, and a lower lip with 3 lobes. The flower has four stamens. Two may be staminodal, lacking pollen. The individual filaments of the stamens are united into pairs by a membrane. There is an inconspicuous nectar disc. Each flower yields at least 6 seeds.[6]
Ecology and uses[edit]
A number of species are cultivated for the aquarium trade, including H. difformis (water wisteria) and Hygrophila polysperma (Indian swampweed). Many members of the genus are troublesome weeds in irrigation and drainage ditches as well as rice fields. Several have become established outside of their native ranges, largely due to the aquarium trade, such as H. polysperma in the southern United States. [6]
Gallery[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Hygrophila. USDA PLANTS.
- ^ Hygrophila. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
- ^ a b Hygrophila. Flora of Pakistan.
- ^ a b Hygrophila. Flora of China.
- ^ Hài, Đ. V. and D. Đ. Huyến. (2012). New record of species Hygrophila episcopalis R. Ben. (R. Ben.) (Acanthaceae) for the flora of Vietnam. Journal of Biology 34(2), 187-89.
- ^ a b c d Cook, C. D. K. (1996), Aquatic Plant Book (2 ed.), Amsterdam: SPB Academic Publishing, ISBN 90-5103-132-7
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hygrophila_(plant)&oldid=648147692 |
Flowering and fruiting: September-March
Erect or scrambling, much-branched annual herb, up to c. 1m tall. Stems with glossy white hairs and scattered stalked glands. Leaves opposite, ovate, 8-25 cm, almost hairless above, hairy below; petiole up to 7 cm long; margin entire or slightly crenate. Flowers in a open branched inflorescence 10-40 cm long. Corolla 2-lipped; upper lip white to mauve,12-20 mm long, finely hairy on the outside; lower lip pale mauve to violet or purple, 3-lobed, 7-15 mm long, with long stiff hairs in the middle. Capsule 10-15 mm long, finely glandular-hairy.
pubescens: pubescent, with soft short hairs