Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains

Hydrocharitaceae - The Frog's-bit Family

Submersed, dioecious, perennial herbs (those included here) of calm or flowing water, densely leafy-stemmed with whorled or decussate, sessile leaves, or plants acaulescent with long, linear, ribbonlike leaves arising in clusters from stolons that creep over the substrate. Flowers solitary or numerous, sessile or peduncled, extended or freely floating to the surface at anthesis, arising from a 2-bracted or bifid (trifid) spathe, small and nonshowy, regular; sepals 3; petals (1-)3, seldom absent; male flowers with (1)2(3) or 9 stamens; female flowers with or without staminodes; stigmas 3, often 2-lobed, ovary inferior, ovules few to several, on 3 parietal placentae that extend nearly to the center of the ovary. Fruit ovoid or cylindric, few- to several-seeded, rupturing tardily and irregularly, maturing underwater.

Lead	Characteristic	Go To
1	Plants leafy-stemmed, the leaves whorled or decussate, to 3 cm long	Genus Elodea
1	Plants acaulescent, the leaves all basal, ribbonlike, to 1 m long	Genus Vallisneria

52. Hydrocharitaceae, the Frog's-bit Family

1. Elodea Michx. -- Waterweed

1. Elodea canadensis L. C. Rich. in Michx.

2. Elodea longivaginata St. John

3. Elodea nuttallii (Planch.) St. John

2. Vallisneria L. -- Eelgrass, Tapegrass, Water-celery

1. Vallisneria americana Michx.

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