Pontederiaceae

Pontederiaceae is a family of an aquatic flower plants, distributed in tropical and subtropical waters..

The name ‘Pontederia’ was named by Linnaeus in honour of the Italian botanist Giulio Pontedera. There are 6 genera within this family : Eichhornia ( 6 species ), Heteranthera ( 12 species ), Hydrothrix ( 1 species ), Monochoria ( 7 species ), Pontederia ( 6 species ), and Scholleropsis ( 1 species )..

Members of the Pontederiaceae family are normally annuals or perennial aquatic herbs. They are either free floating or rooted. Some leaves with inflated petiole for floating..

Flower actinomorphic, solitary or aggregated, trimerous, perianth 6, colour white/violet/blue/rarely yellow. Fruit capsule ( 3 lobes ) or nut, dehiscent ( when capsulate ) or indehiscent ( when pseudomonomerous )...

Due to its showy inflorescences, some species including Eichhornia are use as ornamental plants in water gardens & aquariums. However, as most Ponderiaceae grow gregariously in pool, ditches, and rice fields, they had become noxious weeds, blocking waterways, and competing nutrition with crops and crowd out native species. Some species are use as livestock feed, and as green manure. The young leaves and petioles of Eichhornia crassipes are sometimes used as a vegetable. .

Eichhornia azurea

Synonyms : Pontederia azurea

Common names : Rooted water-hyacinth, Peacock water-hyacinth

Rooted in mud; Inflorescences 7 – 50 flowers, perianth blue or white, flowers open 1 day only.

Eichhornia crassipes

Synonyms : Pontederia crassipes, Eichhornia speciosa, Pairopus crassipes, Heteranthera formosa.

Common names : Water-hyacinth, Lilac-devil, 布袋莲, 凤眼莲

Leaves with inflated petiole for floating; Perianth blue or mauve-blue, inflorescences 4 – 15 flowers, flowers opening individually

within 2 hours after sunrise, wilting by night, stamen 6.

Monochoria elata

Synonyms : Monochoria valida

Common names : 高葶雨久花

Rooted in mud; Flower actinomorphic; Inflorescence up to 30 flowers, perianth purplish blue; tepals connate basally.

Pontederia cordata

Synonyms : Narukila cordata, Pontederia angustifolia, P. cordata var. lanceolata, P. cordata var. lancifolia, P. lanceolata, P. lancifolia, Unisema cordata.

Common names : Pickerel-weed

Rooted in muc, Perianth mauve-blue; Inflorescence > 50 flowers, up to several hundred flowers; 1-seeded.

P. corata has a large number of synonyms, at the levels of species, variety and form. Almost all these names are based on variatins in leaf shape, but extensive morphological variatin has been observed within single populations and even in individual plants. The cause of the variance had yet to be identified.