Althenia

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Alismatales

Familia: Potamogetonaceae
Genus: Althenia
Species: A. australis – A. bilocularis – A. cylindrocarpa – A. filiformis – A. hearnii – A. marina – A. orientalis – A. patentifolia – A. preissii
Name

Althenia F.Petit, Ann. Sci. Observ. 1: 451. (1829)

Type species: Althenia filiformis F.Petit, Ann. Sci. Observ. 1: 452 (-456; t. 12). (1829)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Belvalia Delile, Flora 13: 455 (1830)
Bellevalia Delile ex Endl., Gen. Pl.: 231 (1836), not validly publ. non Bellevalia Lapeyr., J. Phys. Chim. Hist. Nat. Arts 67: 425. (1808). nom. cons.
Lepilaena J.Drumm. ex Harv., Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 7: 57 (1855)
Hexatheca Sond. ex F.Muell., Fragm. 8: 217 (1874), pro syn.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Europe
Southwestern Europe
France, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain.
Southeastern Europe
Greece, Italy, Kriti, Sicilia, Yugoslavia.
Eastern Europe
South European Russia.
Africa
Northern Africa
Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia.
Southern Africa
Cape Provinces, Namibia.
Asia-Temperate
Siberia
Altay.
Middle Asia
Kazakhstan.
Caucasus
North Caucasus, Transcaucasus.
Western Asia
Iran, Turkey.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References

Petit, F. 1829. Annales des Sciences d'Observation 1: 451.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Althenia in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Aug. 13. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Althenia. Published online. Accessed: Aug. 13 2020.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Althenia in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Althenia is a genus of aquatic plants of the family Potamogetonaceae.[2] This has long been a group of two species in the Mediterranean Europe and South Africa, but in 2016 was revised to include an Australasian relative, Lepilaena.[3]

Species

Althenia australis (aquatic)
Althenia bilocularis (aquatic)
Althenia cylindrocarpa (brackish water,[4] marine[5])
Althenia filiformis
Althenia marina (marine[5])
Althenia orientalis
Althenia patentifolia
Althenia preissii (aquatic)

Lepilaena

Lepilaena was a genus of aquatic and marine flowering plant comprising 6 or more species endemic[6][7] to coastal and brackish or alkaline inland waters of temperate Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.[5][6]

The species are appended with common names that derive from their description as water-mats; for example, L. australis is referred to as Austral water-mat and L. marina as Sea water-mat.

Interpretation of molecular evidence for this poorly studied genus suggests a close affinity with Zannichellia, another genus of aquatic plants.[5] Two species are noted for their occurrence in marine environs, L. cylindrocarpa and L. marina, in estuaries and tidal flats.[5] L. cylindrocarpa is also found in a variety of brackish inland waters of mainland Australia.[4] Other species may be found in habitats of fresh to brackish, still or slowly moving, coastal or inland waters.

Based on the molecular and morphological evidence, all the species been transferred to the genus Althenia in 2016.[8]
References

Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 7: 57. 1855 IPNI
"United States Department of Agriculture database". Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
Ito, Y., Nr. Tanaka, P. García-Murillo, A.M. Muasya (2016) A new delimitation of the Afro-Eurasian plant genus Althenia to include its Australasian relative, Lepilaena (Potamogetonaceae) – evidence from DNA and morphological data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 98: 261-270.
"Lepilaena cylindrocarpa (Muell.Stuttg.)". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
Larkum, Anthony W.D.; Duarte, Carlos; Orth, Robert J., eds. (2005). "Taxonomy and biogeorgraphy of seagrasses". Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology and Conservation. Springer-Verlag New York, LLC. ISBN 978-1-4020-2942-4.
Hammer, Ulrich Theodore (1986). Saline Lake Ecosystems of the World. Springer London, Limited. ISBN 978-90-6193-535-3.
Klaus Kubitzki, ed. (1998). Flowering Plants. Monocotyledons: Alismatanae and Commelinanae (except Gramineae) (The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants). Springer. p. 472. ISBN 978-3-540-64061-5.
Ito, Y., Nr. Tanaka, P. García-Murillo, A.M. Muasya (2016) A new delimitation of the Afro-Eurasian plant genus Althenia to include its Australasian relative, Lepilaena (Potamogetonaceae) – evidence from DNA and morphological data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 98: 261-270.