Pontederia

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Commelinaless

Familia: Pontederiaceae
Genus: Pontederia
Species: P. africana – P. australasica – P. azurea – P. brevipetiolata – P. cordata – P. crassipes – P. cyanea – P. diversifolia – P. elata – P. gigantea – P. hastata – P. heterosperma – P. korsakowii – P. meyeri – P. natans – P. ovalis – P. paniculata – P. paradoxa – P. parviflora – P. plantaginea – P. reflexa – – P. vaginalis – P. validaP. rotundifolia - P. sagittata - P. subovata - P. triflora

Name

Pontederia L. (1753)

Type species: P. cordata L.

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Michelia Adans., Fam. Pl. 2: 201, 577 (1763), nom. illeg.
Narukila Adans., Fam. Pl. 2: 54 (1763).
Umsema Raf., Med. Repos., ser. 2, 5: 352 (1808).
Unisema Raf., Med. Repos., ser. 2, 5: 192 (1808).
Pontederas Hoffmanns., Verz. Pfl.-Kult.: 137 (1824).
Monochoria C.Presl, Reliq. Haenk. 1: 127 (1827).
Calcarunia Raf., Med. Fl. 2: 106 (1830).
Reussia Endl., Gen. Pl.: 139 (1836), nom. cons.
Carigola Raf., Fl. Tellur. 2: 10 (1837).
Gomphima Raf., Fl. Tellur. 2: 10 (1837).
Kadakia Raf., Fl. Tellur. 2: 9 (1837).
Piaropus Raf., Fl. Tellur. 2: 81 (1837), nom. rej.
Eichhornia Kunth, Enum. Pl. 4: 129 (1843), nom. cons.
Limnostachys F.Muell., Fragm. 1: 24 (1858).
Cabanisia Kotschy ex Schltdl., Abh. Naturf. Ges. Halle 6: 176 (1862).
Leptosomus Schltdl., Abh. Naturf. Ges. Halle 6: 174 (1862).
Hirschtia K.Schum. ex Schwartz, Beibl. Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 139: 41 (1927).

References

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 288.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Pontederia in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 July 14. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2021. Pontederia. Published online. Accessed: July 14 2021.
Lowden, R. M. 1973. A revision of the genus Pontederia (including Reussia). Rhodora 75: 426–487.
Pellegrini, M.O., Horn, C.N. & Almeida, R.F. 2018. Total evidence phylogeny of Pontederiaceae (Commelinales) sheds light on the necessity of its recircumscription and synopsis of Pontederia L. PhytoKeys 108: 25-83. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.108.27652 Open access Reference page.

Vernacular names
English: Pickerel Weeds, Water Hyacinths

Pontederia is a genus of tristylous aquatic plants, members of which are commonly known as pickerel weeds. Pontederia is endemic to the Americas, distributed from Canada to Argentina, where it is found in shallow water or on mud. The genus was named by Linnaeus in honour of the Italian botanist Giulio Pontedera.[1]

Pontederia plants have large waxy leaves, succulent stems and a thick pad of fibrous roots. The roots give rise to rhizomes that allow rapid colonization by vegetative reproduction. Species are perennial, and produce a large spike of flowers in the summer. There is a species of bee (Dufourea novaeangliae) that exclusively visits Pontederia cordata; waterfowl also eat the fruit of the plant.

Pontederia cordata and Pontederia crassipes (formerly known as Eichhornia crassipes), have become invasive in many tropical and temperate parts of the globe, but are, on the other hand, efficient biological filters of polluted water in constructed wetlands.[2]
Species[3]
Pontederia cordata
Pontederia cordata

Pontederia includes the following 25 accepted species:

Pontederia africana (Solms) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn
Pontederia australasica (Ridl.) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn
Pontederia azurea Sw.
Pontederia brevipetiolata (Verdc.) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn
Pontederia cordata L.
Pontederia crassipes Mart.
Pontederia cyanea (F.Muell.) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn
Pontederia diversifolia (Vahl) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn
Pontederia elata (Ridl.) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn
Pontederia hastata L.
Pontederia heterosperma (Alexander) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn
Pontederia korsakowii (Regel & Maack) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn
Pontederia meyeri (A.G.Schulz) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn
Pontederia natans P.Beauv.
Pontederia ovalis Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f.
Pontederia paniculata Spreng.
Pontederia paradoxa Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f.
Pontederia parviflora Alexander
Pontederia plantaginea Roxb.
Pontederia rotundifolia L.f.
Pontederia sagittata C.Presl
Pontederia subovata (Seub.) Lowden
Pontederia triflora (Seub.) G.Agostini, D.Velázquez & J.Velásquez
Pontederia vaginalis Burm.f.
Pontederia valida (G.X.Wang & Nagam.) M.Pell. & C.N.Horn

References

"Definition of PONTEDERIA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
Kadlec, Robert H.; Scott Wallace (2008). Treatment Wetlands (2 ed.). CRC Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-56670-526-4.
"Pontederia L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2021-06-17.