Perennial aquatic herbs, rhizomatous, rooting in mud
Leaves
with long swollen spongy petiole with expanded sheathing bases; blade cordate, hastate, or ovate, or sometimes all leaves submerged and linear
Flowers
small, in terminal spike, rarely 2 or solitary, occasionally some cleistogamous
Perianth
nearly regular, salver- or funnel-shape, blue, accrescent
Stamens
3 (1 in cleistogamous flowers), exserted; filaments arising from throat of tube; median stamen occasionally longer; anthers dorsifixed, opening by longitudinal slits
Ovary
1-locular or imperfectly 3-locular, with 3 parietal, multi-ovulate placentas; style filiform; stigma small
Capsule
oblong or terete
Seeds
many, ovoid, terete
Nomenclature:
Heteranthera
Ruiz & Pav.
Ruiz & Pavon: 9 (1794)
Brown: 1 (1897)
Podlech: 2 (1969)
Obermeyer: 68 (1985)
Cook: 194 (1990)
Distribution & Notes:
Global
: Species ± 9, tropical to subtropical regions of Africa and America
Southern Africa
: Species 1:
Heteranthera callifolia
Rchb. ex Kunth (=
H. kotschyana
Fenzl ex Solms), Namibia, Botswana and from the Nylsvlei area in the Northern Province
COOK, C.D.K. 1990.
Aquatic plant book
. SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague
OBERMEYER, A.A. 1985.
Pontederiaceae
.
Flora of southern Africa
4,2
PODLECH, D. 1969.
Pontederiaceae
.
Prodomus einer Flora von Südwestafrika
154
RUIZ, L.H. & PAVON, J. 1794.
Flora peruvianae, et chilensis prodromus
. Sancha, Madrid
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