Biodiversity » Aquatic Plants

Monochoria

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:48:44 +0000

Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Commelinales
Family: Pontederiaceae
Genus: Monochoria
Species: M. vaginalis
Synonyms: Pontederia auct. mal.
Common names: M. hastata (L.) Solms: Trakiet, chrach (Khmer); Pak top noy, ‘ il hin (Laos); Pak top, phakpong (Thai); Rau mac (Viet.). M. vaginalis (Burm. f.) J. Presl: Chrach (Khmer); Rau mac la thon, rau choc, rau mac la thon (Viet.); Kae kied, phak-khiat, nin labon (Thai).karinguvalam(tamil),water hyacinth(english),neelolthpalam(sanskrit)
Monochoria vaginalis is a species of flowering plant in the water hyacinth family known by several common names, including heartleaf false pickerelweed and oval-leafed pondweed. It is native to much of Asia and across many of the Pacific Islands, and it is known in other areas as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. An aquatic plant, it is invasive in rice paddies and other water bodies. This is an annual or perennial herb growing in water from a small rhizome. It is quite variable in morphology. The shiny green leaves are up to about 12 centimeters long and 10 wide and are borne on rigid, hollow petioles. The inflorescence bears 3 to 25 flowers which open underwater and all around the same time. Each has six purple-blue tepals just over a centimeter long. The fruit is a capsule about a centimeter long which contains many tiny winged seeds.
Annual or perhaps sometimes perennial, erect, aquatic herbs about 600-750 mm tall. Stems are short and corm-like. Juvenile leaves are submerged, extremely variable in size and shape, scale-like to linear. Adult leaves emergent, differentiated into petiole and blade; blade elliptic to ovate, up to ± 85 ´ 100 mm; petiole erect, ± 500 mm long.
Inflorescence elongated, spike-like, with (20-)25-30(-40) ± equally spaced, blue flowers, and the inflorescence’s peduncle is erect, 20-40 mm long. Petals 6, blue, 10.0-14.5 ´ 3.5-4.5 mm, persistent and enveloping ripe fruit. Stamens 6, of 2 kinds; 5 with simple, up to 5 mm long filaments, and yellow, (1.8-)2-4 mm long anthers. The sixth anther is blue, at least one quarter longer than the yellow ones with a longer filament (up to 5.5 mm long) and has an appendage attached to the filament that curls up along the side of the large blue anther. All six anthers arise from the perianth, opening by an apical pore, which later splits downwards. Capsules ellipsoid to ovoid, ± 9 mm long; style 1.5-2.5 mm in fruit, opening by 3 valves but normally released as a unit and opening later. Seeds numerous, ellipsoid to barrel-shaped, ± 0.75 mm long, with 10, narrow, longitudinal ribs or wings, dispersed in mud and by water.
Very little is known about Monochoria africana, it occurs sporadically in a localized area in South Africa as well as a few localized areas beyond our borders. The lack of information rather hampers an accurate assessment of this rare plant. According to Wendy Fowden, Manager of the Threatened Species Project, SANBI, M. africana is listed as ‘Least Concern’ at the moment.
Monochoria africana has a fairly limited distribution in Mpumalanga Province, in the Kruger National Park of South Africa. The young plants are submerged in the water at the edge of the pan. As the plant grows, the water level drops and the adults grow along the marshy area of the pan. In 1997 while on holiday in the Kruger National Park, we were privileged in spotting this plant in a small pan in the vicinity of Ngumulu Pan. At first glance its habitat and the shape of the leaves resembled that of our common arum lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica. Realizing it had no white flowers, we stopped and studied the plant. To our delight we realized we were looking at Monochoria africana- partly the reason for coming to the Kruger Park! Sadly fellow tourists did not share our excitement; those that stopped behind us were annoyed when we told them it was a plant we were admiring. Also, that evening when asked by a fellow camper at Maroela campsite whether I had seen anything interesting, he was rather annoyed that I could get excited about finding a special plant.
Derivation of name and historical aspects
The genus Monochoria belongs to the family Pontederiaceae that consists of nine genera and 33 species. Five genera are from the New World (Pontederia, Reussia, Eurystemon, Hydrothrix and Zosterella) two (Eichhornia and Heteranthera) from the New and Old World. Monochoria and Scolleropsis are the only two genera from the Old World.
Monochoria is derived from two Greek words, mono, one, and choria, on its own or separate. The name could refer to the fact that when this genus was described; it was the only genus to occur in the Old World ( Asia and Africa ). The genus Scolleropsis from Africa was described later (Cook 1998) and it was therefore on its own in Asia and Africa. More likely it refers to the single large, blue anther. The specific name refers to where the plant was collected, namely Africa.
The first Monochoria species to be collected in Africa was collected by Schweinfurth in 1869 in the Sudan and described by Solms-Laubach as M. vaginalis var. africana. Further researched showed that it differed sufficiently from the Asian species of M. vaginalis and was renamed M. africana ( Verdcourt 1961).
The first plant collected in South Africa was in 1937 by Stevenson-Hamilton, first warden of the Park, at Gomonwane between Lower Sabie and Crocodile Bridge. Since then it has been collected five times: four times in the Kruger National Park in different pans between Lower Sabie and Olifants and Letaba camps in the Lebombo Mountains; and there is one record from outside the Park in Timbavati Private Game Reserve bordering the Kruger Park.

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Ecology
The flowers of Monochoria africana are dimorphic, that is, in one flower the style will bend to the one side either left or right and the large blue, fertile anther will bend in the opposite direction to that of the style. The next flower will have an opposite arrangement, thereby creating mirror-images. Monochoria vaginalis has similar dimorphic flowers, which face outwards; the showy yellow ‘feeding’ anthers attract the pollinators. When a pollinator lands on a flower to feed, the large, blue ‘fertile” anther touches the side of its body, thus depositing a small amount of pollen. On subsequently visiting a mirror-image flower, the pollinator’s body brushes against the stigmatic area, effecting cross-pollination ( Iyengar 1923). Bees tend to be the most common pollinating agents of the other species of Monochoria, but very little is known about the pollination biology of M. africana. A better understanding of its biology will perhaps explain the scarcity and sporadic appearance of this attractive species that has the potential to become an indigenous African cultivated aquatic plant.
Uses and cultural aspects
In South Africa, Eichhornia crassipes is a declared weed and it may not be cultivated or traded. For several years, scientists at the Plant Protection Research Institute, Rietondale, Pretoria, have been doing extensive research on the biocontrol of Eichhornia crassipes. Before any biocontrol organism may be released in a country, it has to be exposed, under very strict quarantine, to all the native species that grow in the same habitat or are closely related to the invasive species. It is therefore essential that the native plants most closely related to the problem plant be used in such experiments. That is why so much emphasis has been placed on Monochoria africana, this beautiful but rather rare indigenous member of the Pontederiaceae.This plant has the potential of becoming a beautiful garden plant if only the ‘germination code’ could be deciphered. Every time the plants were collected, the seeds were sown in damp, river sand. Twice germination was successful, and plants flowered once and died, setting no seed. The seeds collected in 1997 started germinating, produced a lot of mucus around the embryo and then died.
Habit, vegetative morphology. Herb, less than 50 cm or 50–150 cm, annual or perennial, non-insectivorous, non-aromatic, non-parasitic. Bladder-shaped organs absent. Milky sap absent. Thorns absent. Plant habitat. Water plant, rooted in the substrate, partially submerged. Underground parts. Underground parts without tuber-like structures. Rhizomes present, without tuber-like structures. Stolons present or absent, rooting at nodes, without tuber-like structures. Stems. Stems not hairy, round, erect, solid, succulent. Petiole round. Leaves. Leaves one type present, large (more than 2 cm long/wide), not hairy on upper surface or on lower surface, stalked, simple, broad, alternate, in a rosette, margin entire, apex acute, base cordate or obtuse or truncate, parallel-veined, without close-parallel secondary venation, midrib not-prominent, surface not-waxy, non-succulent, glands absent, dots absent, papillae absent, hydathodes absent. Leaf sheath present, not-hairy. Stipules absent. Ligules absent. Flowers, inflorescence. Flowers bisexual, terminal. Inflorescence a spike or not a spike or a head but other, compact, few (2–5)-flowered or many (more than 5)-flowered. Flowers single or clustered, stalked, small (less than 2 cm), blue or purple. Petals 3 or 3-merous, free. Sepals 3 or 3-merous. Stamens many (more than 5). Bracts present or absent, not hairy. Spathe present, not winged, not hairy. Seeds. Seed ellipsoid/oblong, ribbed. Fruits. Fruit a capsule.These plants form large groups; M. vaginalis (Burm. f.) J. Presl: This is a major weed in lowland rice fields. M. hastata (L.) Solms: The petiole is very long and bright red below.
Control methods
M. hastata (L.) Solms & M. vaginalis (Burm. f.) J. Presl: Herbicides from the phenoxy acid group, such as 2,4-D, 2,4-T, 2,4,5-T and MCPA are effective; Propanil rarely gives good results. M. vaginalis (Burm. f.) J. Presl: Cultural control: stale seedbeds with wet tillage.
Medicinal Uses
M. vaginalis (Burm. f.) J. Presl: This plant (the leaves, stems and sometimes inflorescences and rhizomes) is an excellent vegetable; The leaf juice is used to relieve coughing; The juice of roots is used against stomach and liver problems, asthma and against toothache; The smooth rootstocks are fed to livestock and pigs in tribal areas. M. hastata (L.) Solms: The rhizomes are used for pig fodder; The leaves and inflorescences are eaten as a vegetable; Peeled roots mixed with carbon are used against scabies (skin disease caused by mites); The crushed rhizome is used to relieve itching.

Aampal (Indian water lily)

admin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 07:17:56 +0000

Botanical name : Nymphaea nouchali Burn.f.
Family : Nymphaeceae
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa    : Madhura, Tikta
Guna   : Guru, Snigda
Virya   : Seeta
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Indian water lily
Hindi  : Kanval, Kokka
Malayalam : Aampal
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A large perennial aquatic herb with short round rhizomes. Leaves floating, peltate, flowers are large, beautiful and varies in color from pure white to deep red. Fruits spongy, many seeded berries, seeds are grayish black when dry.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated pitta, diarrhea, dysentery, cardiac debility, skin diseases, and generaldesability. Useful part : Rhizomes,Flowers,seeds

Aponogetons

admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:14:43 +0000

Common Name:     Aponogeton ulvaceus
Proper Name:     Aponogeton ulvaceus
Category:     Aponogetons and Criniums
Temperature:     20 – 27 C
PH:     5 – 8
Lighting:     Medium
Growth Rate:     Fast
Difficulty:     Medium
Origin:     Madagascar
Position in Aquascape:     BackgroundAponogetons are aquatic plants that are usually grown from bulbs, even though these aquarium plants do produce seeds during their flowering season. Aponogetons are aquatic plants because these lily-like flora live only in water. While there are no known varieties of aquatic plants which are able live on dry land, the Aponogeton bulbs are not harmed by exposure to air during their dormant cycle. Because of their hardy nature, this live aquarium plant makes an excellent decoration. These aquatic plants provide habitat and shelter for tropical fish. Aponogeton Bulbs are resilient, making these aquatic plants excellent for transporting, as the bulbs will remain dormant until submersed in nutrient rich water. When Aponogetons begin sprouting, their initial sustenance comes from the bulb’s pulpy material. Aponogetons as aquarium plants don’t require a lot of care or even careful attention to the pH balance and temperature of tank water. After sprouting, provide sufficient fertilizer, and ample lighting.

Aponogetons grow from a bulb and, can usually be purchased either as just a bulb or grown out as a plant. There are many forms the plants can take. The lovely Madagascar lace plant is one of the most attractive of the Aponogetons. There’s a small one pictured to the left.

Most Aponogetons will grow in almost any reasonable conditions, including under lower light levels. Many of them will bloom readily in the aquarium. The blossom stem is rather delicate and easily damaged. If left undamaged the small blossoms can produce seeds that will grow into new small plants.

Aponogeton ulvaceus is one of the most beautiful species in the Aponogeton family. The leaves are delicate light-green and transparent with fluted margin. A single root can produce more than 40 leaves. This means that the plant is best as a solitary plant in large aquariums. It is relatively tolerant, and thrives in both soft and hard water, particularly if CO2 is added. There are many varieties of Aponogeton ulvaceus, some of which need a dormant period when the root does not produce leaves

Natural Enemies

While not a favored food of most fish, Aponogetons are do risk being eaten by apple snails. Most other snails ignore this live aquarium plant, a large advantage for aquatic plant growers. The danger to Aponogetons from fish comes from being crushed, knocked over, or torn up. Cichlids, koi, goldfish and larger plecostomus species in the tank could be bad news for this aquatic plant, and some varieties are occasionally nibbled by plecos, but this isn’t a common problem.

Flowering

Aponogetons are a flowering aquatic plant, many consider them to be one of the loveliest aquatic plants of all live aquarium plant decorations. Most species sprout a single flower stalk, but other varieties will fork into 2 to 5 stalks. Aponogeton flowers can be a wide range of colors, depending on the particular species, with many tiny flowers blooming from the stalk, or spike. Colors for this type of live aquarium plant range from pale blue to pink, yellow, or white.

Life Cycle

After blooming, these aquatic plants produce seeds which sink to the bottom of the aquarium and quickly form sprouts. Aponogetons anchor themselves to the substrate. Aponogetons bloom after their summer season of approximately 4 to 6 months. After this stage, Aponogetons enter a dormant stage; aquarium; on live aquarium plants such as Aponogetons, the leaves will fall off, and no additional growth will occur for approximately 3-4 months. During this stage, this variety of live aquarium plant may be transported to other aquariums.