Blyxa

Blyxa echinosperma

Blyxa is one of eleven species plant genus in the family of frog bite plants ( Hydrocharitaceae ).

Features

Blyxa species are perennial, herbaceous, living in fresh water, submerged plants. The stem is short or extended and upright or foothills impulsive. The leaves are at the base of or in whorls around the stem. They are lanceolate to linear, sessile or stalked. The midrib of some of the lateral leaf veins are raised. The spathe is tubular, sessile or stalked, divided into two parts at the top and with longitudinal veins. They usually contain one, sometimes several flowers. The flowers are single or bisexual. The three sepals are green, binding and linear to lanceolate. The three petals are white and longer than the sepals. There are 3-9 stamens present. The stamens are slim. Three stamps are available. The ovary is linear and tapers into a thin beak. Pen, there are three, ovules numerous. The fruit is linear to cylindrical, long and thin. The numerous seeds are oblong - fusiform, smooth or filled with thorns and every now and then with a thread-like appendage at both ends.

Occurrence

Blyxa occurs in the tropics and subtropics.

System

The genus was first described in 1806 by Blyxa Noronha. It consists of eleven species (selection):

• Blyxa aubertii
• Blyxa echinosperma
• Blyxa japonica
• Blyxa leiosperma
• Blyxa octandra

Documents

• Qingfeng Wang, Youhao Guo, Robert R. Haynes, C. Barre Hellquist: Blyxa. In: Flora of China Vol 23 Hydrocharitaceae, pp. 91 and 98 ( online)