Hydrocharitaceae

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

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

Familia: Hydrocharitaceae
Genera: Appertiella – Blyxa – Egeria – Elodea – Enhalus – Halophila – Hydrilla – Hydrocharis – Lagarosiphon – Limnobium – Najas – Nechamandra – Ottelia – Stratiotes – Thalassia – Vallisneria
Name

Hydrocharitaceae Juss. Gen. Pl. 67. (1789)

Type genus: Hydrocharis L. Sp. Pl. 2: 1036. (1753)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Blyxaceae Nakai
Elodeaceae Dumort.
Enhalaceae Nakai
Halophilaceae J.Agardh
Hydrillaceae Prantl
Najadaceae Juss.
Stratiotaceae Schultz Sch.
Thalassiaceae Nakai
Vallisneriaceae Dumort.

References

Jussieu, A.L. de (1789) Genera Plantarum, 67.
Emonocot.org 2013. Hydrocharitaceae in The Orders and Families of Monocotyledons. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Sept. 16.
Tropicos.org 2013. Hydrocharitaceae. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Sept. 16.
International Plant Names Index. 2013. Hydrocharitaceae. Published online. Accessed: 16 Sept. 2013.
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2003. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 141(4): 399–436. DOI: 10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.t01-1-00158.x Open access Reference page.
Lohmueller, Friedrich A. The Botanical System of the Plants[1]

Vernacular names
العربية: حب مائية
asturianu: Hidrocaritacees
azərbaycanca: Suboyarkimilər
беларуская: Жабнікавыя
български: Водянкови
català: Hidrocaritàcies
čeština: Voďankovité
dansk: Frøbid-familien
Deutsch: Froschbissgewächse
English: Frog's-bit family, Tape-grass family
español: Hidrocaritáceas
eesti: Kilbukalised
فارسی: تخت‌قورباغه‌ایان
suomi: Kilpukkakasvit
français: Hydrocharitacées
हिन्दी: हाइड्रोचैरिटेसिए
hrvatski: Žabogrizovke
hornjoserbsce: Wódnjankowe rostliny
magyar: Békatutajfélék
日本語: トチカガミ科
қазақша: Сукөріктер тұқымдасы
한국어: 자라풀과
lietuvių: Vandenplūkiniai
Nederlands: Waterkaardefamilie
norsk: Froskebittfamilien
polski: Żabiściekowate
română: Hidrocaritacee
русский: Водокрасовые
slovenčina: Vodniankovité
svenska: Dybladsväxter
తెలుగు: హైడ్రోకారిడే
ไทย: วงศ์สันตะวา
українська: Водокрасові
Tiếng Việt: Họ Thủy thảo
中文（简体）: 水鳖科
中文（繁體）: 水鱉科

Hydrocharitaceae is a flowering plant family including 16 known genera with a total of ca 135 known species (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 [2]), that including a number of species of aquatic plant, for instance the tape-grasses, the well known Canadian waterweed and frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae.

The family includes both fresh water and marine aquatics. They are found throughout the world in a wide variety of habitats, but are primarily tropical.

Description

The species are annual or perennial, with a creeping monopodial rhizome with the leaves arranged in two vertical rows, or an erect main shoot with roots at the base and spirally arranged or whorled leaves. The leaves are simple and usually found submerged, though they may be found floating or partially emerse. As with many aquatics they can be very variable in shape – from linear to orbicular, with or without a petiole, and with or without a sheathing base.

The flowers are arranged in a forked, spathe-like bract or between two opposite bracts. They are usually irregular, though in some case they may be slightly irregular, and either bisexual or unisexual. The perianth segments are in 1 or 2 series of (2–)3 free segments; the inner series when present are usually showy and petal-like. Stamens 1–numerous, in 1 or more series; the inner ones sometimes sterile. Pollen is globular and free but in the marine genera (Thalassia and Halophila) – the pollen grains are carried in chains, like strings of beads. The ovary is inferior with 2–15 united carpels containing a single locule with numerous ovules on parietal placentas which either protrude nearly to the centre of the ovary or are incompletely developed. Fruits are globular to linear, dry or pulpy, dehiscent or more usually indehiscent and opening by decay of the pericarp. Seeds are normally numerous with straight embryos and no endosperm.

Pollination can be extremely specialised.

The most recent phylogenetic treatment of the family recognizes four subfamilies – Hydrocharitoideae (Hydrocharis, Limnobium), Stratiotoideae (Stratiotes), Anacharioideae (Apalanthe, Appertiella, Blyxa, Egeria, Elodea, Lagarosiphon and Ottelia) and Hydrilloideae (Enhalus, Halophila, Hydrilla, Maidenia, Najas, Nechamandra, Thalassia and Vallisneria).[3]
Hydrilla verticillata
Ottelia alismoides
Uses

Some species have become established ornamental plants, and subsequently serious weeds in the wild (especially Egeria, Elodea and Hydrilla).
Genera

Apalanthe
Appertiella
Blyxa
Egeria
Elodea
Enhalus
Halophila
Hydrilla
Hydrocharis
Lagarosiphon
Limnobium
Maidenia
Najas[1][4][5][6]
Nechamandra
Ottelia
Stratiotes
Thalassia
Vallisneria

Genera crosses (Hydrocharitaceae)

Kubitzki (ed. 1998[7])	data.kew[8]	APWeb (mobot.org)[9]	Watson & Dallwitz (delta-intkey)[10]
Hydrocharitaceae
1. Ottelia	Ottelia Pers. (including Benedictaea Toledo, Boottia Wall.) (excludes Oligolobos Gagnep.)	Ottelia Persoon (including Benedictaea Toledo, Boottia Wallich, Oligolobos Gagnepain, Xystrolobus Gagnepain)	Ottelia
2. Stratiotes	Stratiotes L.	Stratiotes L.	Stratiotes
3. Hydrocharis	Hydrocharis L.	Hydrocharis L.	Hydrocharis
4. Limnobium	Limnobium Rich. (including Hydromystria G.Mey.	Limnobium Richard (including Hydromystria G. Meyer)	Limnobium
5. Blyxa	Blyxa Noronha ex Thouars (excludes Enhydrias Ridl.)	Blyxa Richard (including Enhydrias Ridley)	Blyxa
6. Apalanthe	Apalanthe Planch.	(in Elodea Michaux)	Apalanthe
7. Egeria	Egeria Planch.	Egeria Planchon	Egeria
8. Elodea	Elodea Michx. (including Anacharis Rich., Udora Nutt.)	Elodea Michaux (including Anacharis Richard, Apalanthe Planchon, Hydora Besser, Philotria Rafinesque, Serpulica Pursh, Udora Nuttall)	Elodea
9. Hydrilla	Hydrilla Rich.	Hydrilla Richard	Hydrilla
10. Appertiella	Appertiella C.D.K.Cook & Triest	Appertiella C. D. K. Cook & Triest	Appertiella
11. Lagarosiphon	Lagarosiphon Harv.	Lagarosiphon Harvey	Lagarosiphon
12. Nechamandra	Nechamandra Planch.	Nechamandra Planchon	Nechamandra
13. Maidenia	Maidenia Rendle	Maidenia Rendle	Maidenia
14. Vallisneria	Vallisneria L.	Vallisneria L.	Vallisneria
15. Enhalus	Enhalus Rich.	Enhalus Richard	Enhalus
16. Thalassia	Thalassia Banks ex C.Koenig	Thalassia C. Koenig	Thalassia
17. Halophila	Halophila Thouars	Halophila Thouars	Halophila
(in Najas, Najadaceae)	Najas L.	Najas L.	(in Najas, Najadaceae)
(name not found)	Enhydrias Ridl.	(in Blyxa, Hydrocharitaceae)	(name not found)
(name not found)	Oligolobos Gagnep.	(in Ottelia, Hydrocharitaceae)	(name not found)
Najadaceae
1. Najas	(in Najas, Hydrocharitaceae)	(in Najas, Hydrocharitaceae)	Najas

References

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x.
Christenhusz, M. J. M.; Byng, J. W. (2016). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. Magnolia Press. 261 (3): 201–217. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1.
Les DH, DH; Moody, ML; Soros, CL (2006), "A reappraisal of phylogenetic relationships in the monocotyledon family Hydrocharitaceae (Alismatidae)", Aliso, 22: 211–230, doi:10.5642/aliso.20062201.18
Tanaka, Norio; Setoguchi, Hiroaki; Murata, Jin (1997), "Phylogeny of the family Hydrocharitaceae inferred from rbcL and matK gene sequence data", Journal of Plant Research, 110 (3): 329, doi:10.1007/BF02524931, S2CID 10939773
Les, DH; Cleland, MA; Waycott, M (1997), "Phylogenetic studies in Alismatidae, II: evolution of marine angiosperms (seagrasses) and hydrophily", Systematic Botany, 22 (3): 443, doi:10.2307/2419820, JSTOR 2419820
Genera of Hydrocharitaceae, GRIN Taxonomy for Plants
Kubitzki (ed.) 1998. The families and genera of vascular plants, vol 4, Monocotyledons: Alismatanae and Commelinanae (except Gramineae). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Vascular Plant Families and Genera. List of genera in family HYDROCHARITACEAE (accessed 2016-06-02) http://data.kew.org/cgi-bin/vpfg1992/genlist.pl?HYDROCHARITACEAE
VASCULAR PLANT FAMILIES and GENERA. List of Genera in HYDROCHARITACEAE. (accessed 2016-06-02) http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/apweb/genera/hydrocharitaceaegen.html
Watson & Dallwitz. Hydrocharitaceae. The families of flowering plants. http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/hydrocha.htm