HYDROCHARITACEAE
Morphological description
Herbaceous, aquatic plants (marine and fresh water).
Leaves
Leaves crowded, simple, entire; petioles sheathing, nerves parallel with cross veins.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence.
Flowers
Flower usually unisexual, actinomorphic; ovary inferior, placentation parietal, ovules many.
Different from: Potamogetonaceae: ovary superior.
Distribution: family widespread. In Malesia 9 genera, including : - Halophila, marine herbs, with creeping rhizome; - Ottelia, fresh water submerged herb; - Thalassia, coarse marine plants, with more or less woody creeping rhizome.
Notes: Some species (Hydrilla, Ottelia, Vallisneria) are (potential) aquarium plants; several marine seagrasses (Enhalus, Halophila and Thalassia) are eaten by Dugongs and Turtles.
Literature: C. den Hartog, Fl. Males. I, 5 (1957) 381- 413; Seagrasses of the World (1970) 213-268.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Hydrocharitaceae 92 - Hydrilla 46.
Illustrations: Fig. 89. Halophila ovalis (R. Br.) Hook. f. (Hydrocharitaceae). a. Habit; b. male flower; c. female flower; b & c enlarged. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 5 (1957) 409, fig. 16. b a c . Fig. 90. Ottelia alismoides (L.) Pers. (Hydrocharitaceae). Reproduced from M.R. Henderson, Malayan wild flowers, Monocotyledons (1954, repr. 1974) 9. With kind permission of the Malaysian Nature Society.
Image in PhytoImages for Hydrocharitaceae