genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
aquatic
Aquatic means relating to water; living in or near water or taking place in water; does not include groundwater, as "aquatic" implies an environment where plants and animals live.
Aquatic(s) may also refer to:
* Aquatic animal, either vertebrate ...
(to
semi-aquatic
In biology, being semi-aquatic refers to various macroorganisms that live regularly in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. When referring to animals, the term describes those that actively spend part of their daily time in water (in ...
)
flowering plants
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
in the aroid
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
,
Araceae
The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). Also ...
,
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the
Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
(
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
).Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families /ref> The genus has gradually become more known through the
aquascaping
Aquascaping is the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cavework, or driftwood, in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium—in effect, gardening under water. Aquascape designs include a number of distinct styl ...
and
aquarium hobby
Fishkeeping is a popular hobby, practiced by aquarists, concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. It is a practice that encompasses the art of maintaining one's own aquatic ecosystem, featuring a lot of variety with various w ...
, in which several related Araceae genera are already highly prized and grown on a large scale (notably ''
Anubias
''Anubias'' is a genus of aquatic and semi-aquatic flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical central and western Africa. They primarily grow in rivers and streams, but can also be found in marshes. They are characterized by broad ...
'', ''
Bucephalandra
''Bucephalandra'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. There are 30 species of ''Bucephalandra'' which have been discovered in Borneo and have been formally described by S.Y. Wong and P.C. Boyce. Most of the species are found i ...
'' and ''
Cryptocoryne
''Cryptocoryne'' is a genus of aquatic plants from the family Araceae. The genus is naturally distributed in tropical regions of India, Southeast Asia and New Guinea. The English common name "water trumpet" refers to their inflorescence, a spad ...
''); ''Lagenandra'', however, is still relatively rare in cultivation or private collections.
The
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
is visually-similar to (and, in places,
sympatric
In biology, two closely related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter each other. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct spe ...
with) the ''Cryptocoryne'', but is distinguishable for its
involute vernation
Vernation or leafing is the formation of new leaves or fronds. In plant anatomy, it is the arrangement of leaves in a bud.
In pine species, new leaves are short and encased in sheaths. Each leaf bundle consists of two to five needles. All the l ...
(
leaf
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...
growth); comparatively, ''Cryptocoryne'' tends to exhibit
convolute vernation
Vernation or leafing is the formation of new leaves or fronds. In plant anatomy, it is the arrangement of leaves in a bud.
In pine species, new leaves are short and encased in sheaths. Each leaf bundle consists of two to five needles. All the l ...
.
Description
Helophyte
Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic environments ( saltwater or freshwater). In lakes, rivers and wetlands, aquatic vegetations provide cover for aquat ...
s, rarely
rheophyte
A rheophyte is a plant that lives in fast moving water currents in an environment where few other organisms can survive. Rheophytes tend to be found in currents that move at rates of one to two meters per second and that are up to 1 to 2 m deep. Th ...
s, with thick creeping
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...
; leaf blade simple, ovate to almost linear, fine venation transverse-reticulate;
spathe
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also look ...
tube with connate margins; spadix entirely enclosed in spathe tube; flowers unisexual, perigone absent. Differs from ''Cryptocoryne'' in having female flowers spirally arranged (pseudo-whorl in ''Lagenandra nairii'', whorled in ''Lagenandra gomezii'') and free; spathe tube "kettle" with connate margins (containing spadix) occupying entire spathe tube; spathe blade usually opening only slightly by a straight or twisted slit; berries free, opening from base; leaf ptyxis involute.
Species
Accepted species are as follows. A key to the species described before 1986 was provided by Crusio and de Graaf.
# ''
Lagenandra bogneri
''Lagenandra bogneri'' belongs to the genus ''Lagenandra'' in the family ''Araceae'' that is endemic to south western Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an ...
Lagenandra koenigii
''Lagenandra'' is a genus of aquatic (to semi-aquatic) flowering plants in the aroid family, Araceae, endemic to the Indian Subcontinent (Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka). The genus has gradually become more known through the aquascaping and aq ...
'' (Schott) Thwaites - Sri Lanka
# '' Lagenandra lancifolia'' (Schott) Thwaites - Sri Lanka
# '' Lagenandra meeboldii'' (Engler) C.E.C. Fischer - southwestern India
# '' Lagenandra nairii'' Ramamurthy & Rajan - southwestern India
# ''
Lagenandra ovata
''Lagenandra'' is a genus of Aquatic plant, aquatic (to Semiaquatic, semi-aquatic) Flowering plant, flowering plants in the aroid family (biology), family, Araceae, endemism, endemic to the Indian Subcontinent (Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka). T ...