Alisma lanceolatum

Alisma lanceolatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Alismataceae
Genus: Alisma
Species: A. lanceolatum
Binomial name
Alisma lanceolatum
With.

Alisma lanceolatum is a species of aquatic plant in the water plantain family known by the common names lanceleaf water plantain and narrow-leaved water plantain.[2] It is widespread across Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia. It is naturalized in Australia, New Zealand, Oregon, California and British Columbia. It is considered a noxious weed in some places.[3][4][5][6]

This species is a weed of rice fields in many areas, including New South Wales and California.

In England and Wales it is occasionally locally found, in Ireland it is rare, and Scotland it is very rare.

It is found in mud and in fresh waters.

Description

Part of an inflorescence and single blossom

This is a perennial herb growing from a caudex in the water or mud. It produces lance-shaped leaves 12 to 20 centimeters long and 4 wide on long petioles; leaves which remain submerged in water are smaller and less prominently veined. The inflorescence is mostly erect and up to half a meter tall.

It is a wide array of small pink-petalled flowers, which open in the morning, from June until August. The fruit is a tiny achene up to 2 or 3 millimeters long clustered into an aggregate fruit of about 20 units.

Similar Species

The water plantain Alisma plantago-aquatica has acute leaf tips not tapering to a stalk.[7]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alisma lanceolatum.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 16, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.