Heteranthera

Scientific name

Heteranthera Ruiz & Pavon

Common names

mud plantain, duck salad, water stargrass

Family

Pontederiaceae

Similar genera

Eichhornia, Hydrocharis, Limnobium, Monochoria, Najas, Potamogeton

Native distribution

North and South America, Africa

Species cultivated

Heteranthera dubia (Jacq.) MacMill. (Zosterella dubia)

H. limosa (Sw.) Willd.

H. reniformis Ruíz & Pav.

H. zosterifolia Mart.

Adventive distribution

Asia, Caribbean, Australia

Weed status

Heteranthera limosa and H. reniformis are weeds of rice in several countries; most species, however, are not considered serious weeds.

Habit

submersed, emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
to amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
rosette or stem plant

Brief description

Annual or perennialperennial:
(adj) (of a plant) having a life cycle of more than two years
. Stems submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
, floating or emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
. Leaves alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
(H. zosterifolia, H. dubia), or appearing to be in a rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
(e.g., H. limosa); petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
or sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
, leaf base sheathed; bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear, reniformreniform:
(adj) kidney-shaped
or ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
parallel or palmatepalmate:
(adj) (of leaves or venation) with lobes, leaflets, divisions or veins originating from the same point
, or apparently absent (H. dubia). Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a spikespike:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranching inflorescence of sessile flowers or flower clusters on a usually elongated axis
or paired or solitary flowers, subtended by 2 reduced, sheathing leaves (spathes). Flowers showy but delicate; tubulartubular:
(adj) (of a corolla, perianth, calyx tube or other structure) (1) tube-shaped; cylindrical: narrow and elongate with more or less straight sides; (2) having segments fused into a tube (of any shape)
perianthperianth:
(n) collective term for the calyx and corolla of a flower; also used for floral whorl(s) in which the calyx and corolla cannot be resolved; any of the leaves or bracts surrounding the sex organs of bryophytes
of 6 tepals in 2 whorls of 3, blue-purple, yellow or white; stamens 3. Dispersal by seed or stem fragments.

Natural habitat

still waters such as ponds, lakes, swamps, and marshes

Additional comments

Heteranthera comprises approximately 12 species, of which H. zosterifolia and H. dubia are cultivated for the aquarium trade, while H. reniformis and H. limosa are cultivated for the pond plant trade. Heteranthera dubia (sometimes placed in Zosterella) has narrow stems, linear leaves that lack apparent venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
, and a yellow flower. Heteranthera zosterifolia has linear leaves, H. reniformis has cordatecordate:
(adj) heart-shaped; in the form of two rounded lobes
to kidney shaped leaves, and H. limosa has ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
to oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
shaped leaves. Monochoria is easily differentiated from Heteranthera by the presence of six stamens, while Heteranthera has three.