Microbes and Plants - Freshwater Ecology: Concepts and Environmental Applications - page 146

TABLE 8.4 Common Genera of Water Plants, with Their Habit, Diversity,
Habitat, and Distribution a

Habit Genus Common name Species Habitat/ distribution/ comments

Emergent Oryza sativa Rice 1 Tropical temperate food crop, most

important in world

Peltandra Arrow arrum 3 Shallow water eastern North America

Sagittaria Arrowhead 20 New world, tuber edible by waterfowl

Scirpus Bulrush 150 Worldwide, mostly North America

Sparganium Bur reed 20 Temperate and arctic Northern Hemisphere

Typha Cattail 10 Worldwide, common in monospecific stands

in swamps, marshes, and along streams

Phragmites Giant reed 3 Worldwide

Pontederia Pickerelweed 5 New world, shallow muddy areas

Juncus Rushes 225 Northern Hemisphere, few submerged

species

Carex Sedges 1000 Worldwide, common in damp areas to

shallow waters

Eliocharis Spikerush 200 Worldwide, may be completely submerged

but will be sterile if so

Zizania Wild rice 2 North America, a prized food

Floating Nuphar Spatterdock, 25? Large yellow flowers

attached yellow water

lilies

Brasenia Water shield 1 Scattered worldwide

Nymphaea White water lilies 40 Worldwide, introduced in many places,

large flowers, mostly white

Floating Lemnaceae Duckweed 30 Worldwide, can cover small pond surfaces

unattached Salvinia Water fern 12 Tropical

Eichhornia Water hyacinth 1 Tropical and subtropical, one of the worst

crassipes weeds in the world, also used for tertiary

sewage treatment

Pistia stratiodes Water lettuce 1 Tropical and subtropical, can be a pest

Azolla Water velvet Worldwide, contain N fixing cyanobacteria,

may be important in traditional rice
culture, can be red or purple on surface
of water

Submersed Utricularia Bladderwort 150 (30 Seedlike bladders trap and digest aquatic

aquatic) animals

Ceratophyllum Coontail 30 Worldwide

Elodea Elodea 17 North and South America, but introduced

elsewhere as an escapee of aquaria

Cabomba Fanwort 7 Tropical to temperate New World

Hydrilla Hydrilla 1 Similar to Elodea

verticillata
Najas Naiad 50 Worldwide

Potomogeton Pondweeds 100? Worldwide, found in most types of fresh

surface waters, important food sources
for wildlife, some pest species

Myriophyllum Watermilfoil 40 Africa, some species introduced pests

elsewhere

Vallisneria Wild celery 10 Worldwide, warm areas

a Adapted from Riemer (1984).