''Lagarosiphon'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of aquatic plants described as a genus in 1841. It is native to
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
.
It is
dioecious
Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...
, with male and female flowers produced on separate plants.
Description
These branched, aquatic herbs are covered in leaves. They may have an alternate, sub-opposite or whorled arrangement.
The unisexual flowers are surrounded by auxiliary bracts. The male flowers have a six lobed perianth arranged in two rows. The outer lobes are slightly larger. They have three stamens and two to three staminodes. There are multiple flowers per bract.
The female perianths are also made up of six lobes, with those making up the outer layer also being larger than those of the inner layer. The one chambered ovary has three partial placentas. The style is as long as the perianth tube. There are three stigmas, which maybe forked. There is one flower per bract.
Distribution
This genus is most common in tropical Africa.
Species
The following species are accepted:
# ''
Lagarosiphon cordofanus''
(Hochst.) Casp. – Cameroon + Ethiopia to Namibia + Mpumalanga
# ''
Lagarosiphon hydrilloides''
Rendle – Ghana, Kenya, Uganda
# ''
Lagarosiphon ilicifolius''
Oberm. – Uganda to Namibia
# ''
Lagarosiphon madagascariensis''
Casp. – Madagascar
# ''
Lagarosiphon major''
(Ridl.) Moss – Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa
# ''
Lagarosiphon muscoides''
Harv. – Mali to Sudan to KwaZulu-Natal
# ''
Lagarosiphon rubellus''
Ridl. – Angola
# ''
Lagarosiphon steudneri''
Casp. – Ethiopia
# ''
Lagarosiphon verticillifolius''
Oberm. – Mozambique, Zimbabwe, KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, Mpumalanga, Limpopo
References
External links
''Lagarosiphon''at the
Encyclopedia of Life
Hydrocharitaceae
Hydrocharitaceae genera
Aquatic plants
Dioecious plants
{{Alismatales-stub