Floating Water-plantain
| Luronium | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Alismataceae |
| Genus: |
Luronium Raf. |
| Species: | L. natans |
| Binomial name | |
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Luronium natans (L.) Raf. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Luronium natans is a species of aquatic plant commonly known as the floating water-plantain. It is the only recognized species in the genus Luronium, native to western and central Europe, from Spain to Britain to Norway east to Ukraine.
Stems elongated, rising in the water or creeping and rooting at the nodes. Submerged leaves (if present) basal, linear; floating or aerial leaves elliptical to ovate. Flowers hermaphrodite, long-pedunculate in the axils of the floating or aerial leaves. Stamens 6. Carpels 6–15 in an irregular whorl, free, each with 1 ovule; styles apical. Fruitlets achenial, longitudinally many-ribbed, with a short apical beak. 2n = 42.
Luronium natans can be a difficult plant to identify. It is both very variable and resembles many other aquatic plants with strap-like leaves such as bur-reeds (Sparganium), young water-plantain plants (Alisma), arrowheads (Sagittaria), lesser water-plantain (Baldellia) and mudwort (Limosella aquatica). The stoloniferous habit is an important distinguishing feature, and the unusual shape of the floating leaves, which are rounded at the tips and tend to taper gradually into the stem, is also helpful. However, floating leaves are not always present, especially in lake populations. Submerged leaves have a characteristic ladder pattern with whitish flecks when seen underwater.
The range of floating water-plantain is uncertain. It is widely distributed in western and central Europe, with confirmed records from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. It is also present but rare in northern Spain, the Czech Republic, Norway and Sweden.
Further east the distribution is much more uncertain and requires verification. Records from Bulgaria, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia , Slovenia, Austria, the Transcarpathian region of the Ukraine and Transylvania either are doubtful or are unconfirmed.
Floating water-plantain grows predominantly in base-poor lakes, ponds and slow-flowing rivers with low to moderate nutrient levels, although in some cases it appears able to tolerate alkaline systems and / or high nutrient levels. It has proved able to colonise certain man-made freshwater systems.
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Wikipedia