Acaulescent, free-floating, stoloniferous, freshwater herb, with many feathery fibrous roots
Leaves
forming a rosette, obovate to obdeltoid, broadest above, densely pilose, green, with several ± parallel veins arising at base
Inflorescence
small, hidden among leaf bases
Spathe
convolute at base, apical part ± erect, expanded, acute-acuminate, white
Spadix
in three parts, lower pistillate and naked portions adnate to spathe, upper staminate portion free
Flowers
without perianth segments
Male flowers
2-8, each consisting of 2 stamens forming a synandrium, encircled by a cupular annulus and beneath it a laterally attached semicircular lobe; anthers opening by short oblique slits
Female flower
solitary; ovary unilocular, oblique; ovules many, orthotropous, on a basal placenta; style obliquely erect, stigma subspherical
Fruit
a berry, globose to ellipsoid, with a thin pericarp, many-seeded
Seeds
subovoid, truncate at both ends, hard, verrucose; with abundant endosperm
x = 14
Nomenclature:
*
Pistia
L.
Linnaeus: 963 (1753)
Linnaeus: 411 (1754)
Brown: 33 (1897)
Engler: 258 (1920)
Mayo: 66 (1985)
Henderson et al.: 92 (1987)
Nicolson: 99 (1987)
Mayo et al.: 286 (1997)
Distribution & Notes:
Southern Africa
: Species 1: *
Pistia stratiotes
L., cosmopolitan in warm regions, naturalised
References:
BROWN, N.E. 1897.
Aroideae
.
Flora capensis
7
ENGLER, A. 1920.
Araceae
-
Pistioideae
.
Das Pflanzenreich
73
HENDERSON, M, FOURIE, D.M.C., WELLS, M.J. & HENDERSON, L. 1987.
Declared weeds and alien invader plants in South Africa
. Department of Agriculture & Water Supply, Pretoria
LINNAEUS, C. 1753.
Species plantarum
. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
LINNAEUS, C. 1754.
Genera plantarum
. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
MAYO, S.J. 1985.
Araceae
.
Flora of tropical East Africa
MAYO, S.J., BOGNER, J., BOYCE, P.C. 1997.
The genera of
Araceae
. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
NICOLSON, D.H. 1987.
Araceae
.
Flora of Ceylon
6
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