Eichhornia paniculata (Sprengel) Solms-Laubach [syn. Piaropus paniculatus (Sprengel) Small] was reported by J. K. Small (1913) as occurring in drainage ditches of peninsular Florida. The collection was made in 1907 in Manatee County (J. K. Small s.n., NY). This species can be recognized by its growing rooted in mud and by the presence of cordate leaves and an elongate flowering stem terminated by a panicule of 20-100 flowers.
Eichhornia diversifolia (Vahl) Urban, native to Puerto Rico, is not known to occur in the flora area.
PLANTS: Annual or perennial herbs, rooting in mud or free-floating. Vegetative stem submersed and growing to surface, or emersed and short.
LEAVES: sessile or petiolate; sessile leaves forming a basal rosette or alternate on an elongate stem, acuminate at apex; petiolate leaves floating or emersed, cordate to oblong, acuminate to obtuse at apex.
INFLORESCENCE: a panicle or spike, developing in l-several days, individual flowers open 1 day only.
PERIANTH: funnelform, blue or mauve, the lobes obianceolate, glandular-pubescent, obtuse to acute at apex; stamens 6, the upper 3 shorter than the lower 3; filaments linear, glandular-pubescent, purple, curved upwards towards the apex; anthers rounded to oblong, yellow; pistils heterostylous or homostylous, the ovary ovoid, incompletely 3-locular, each locule with many ovules.
FRUIT: an elongate capsule with longitudinal dehiscence.
SEEDS: many, ovoid, the testa with longitudinal wings and cross-striae between wings.
NOTES: 9 spp.; tropical America and Africa. (For E. Eichhorn).
REFERENCES: Horn, Charles N. 1998 Pontederiaceae. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. 30(2): 133.
Perianth tubular at base, the limb spreading, somewhat bilabiate, the upper lobe marked with yellow; stamens 6, inserted on the perianth- tube, the 3 opposite the lower lip included; ovary 3-locular, ripening into a 3-valved, many- seeded capsule; nectaries septal. 6 or 7, New World.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
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