Alismataceae

  • Family

    Alismataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Alismataceae

  • Common Names

    Water-plantain Family

  • Description

    Number of genera: 13

    Number of species: 90

    Description (from PLANTAE): Monoecious, polygamous, or dioecious annual or perennial herbs with milky juice, glabrous to stellat pubescent, with floating leaves or emergent in fresh or barckish waters.

    Taxonomic notes (from PLANTAE): Based on superficial resembelences, such as apocarpy and numerous stamens, the family was thought to have evolved from the Ranunculaceae. No contemporary phylogenetic studies support this hypothesis. The family is placed solidly among the relatively primitive monocots comprising the superorder Alismatanae, whose closest sister group may be the family Araceae.

    Distribution (from PLANTAE): The distribution of the family is nearly cosmopolitan with the large genera Echinodorus and Sagittaria, centered in the Western Hemisphere. Members of the family occur in stagnant or flowing freshwater.

  • Floras and Monographs

    Alismataceae: [Book] Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.