Hydrilla

Reason nettle ( Hydrilla verticillata )

The basic nettle ( Hydrilla verticillata ) is a Wasserpflanzenart from the family frog bite plants ( Hydrocharitaceae ). It is the only species of the genus Hydrilla. Based in parts of Asia, Africa and Australia plant is an aggressive especially in coastal areas of the United States neophyte, which is controlled with herbicides such as fluridone there.

Description

Hydrilla is a perennial herbaceous plant. It grows submerged ( submerged ) in freshwater. Here it forms dense stands with up to eight meters long stem axis.

The leaves are six to 20 millimeters long and between two and four millimeters wide. They are linear with a clear top and clear serrated edge. They are lively to four to eight at the nodes ( more nodes ).

This type getrenntgeschlechtigen with flowers comes in two forms, in a monoecious ( monoecious ) and a dioecious ( dioecious ). In the latter, there are male and female plants. Especially the latter are distributed in the U.S..

Propagation

Propagation is mainly vegetatively via rhizomes and stolons. The species reproduces via Turionen and underground tubers. These bulbs can last up to four years. Under favorable conditions, a bulb on one square meter produce up to 6,000 new tubers. The vegetative propagation especially in areas of importance where only the female plants occur as neophytes.

Photosynthesis

Hydrilla verticillata is a facultative C4 plant. In contrast to the majority of C4 plants but do not have a compartmentalization of leaves in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. The mesophyll of the leaves is composed of two layers of similar cells, the C4 pathway ( Hatch - Slack cycle) to drain completely within each of these cells.