Haloragaceae

Haloragaceae is a family of plants in the order Saxifragales.

Description

They are herbaceous or sufrutescent plants, perennial, aquatic or terrestrial; rhizomatous or erect stems; hermaphrodite or monoyal plants. Alternate, opposite or verticilated leaves, simple or pectinated, stipulated or with stipules as scales. Solitary and axillary flowers or in spikes, clusters or terminal particles; unisexual or seldom perfect flowers, epigins; absent perianto, uniseriado or biseriado; absent sepals or 2-4; absent petals or 2-4, deciduos, libre, larger than sepals; absent stamens or 4 or 8, free, often Nutty or drupe fruits, angulated, sulcated or winged; seed with membranceous testa, straight embryo, cylindrical or obcordiform, abundant endosperma, carnoso. Floral formula: ⋆ ⋆ K3− − 4C3− − 4{displaystyle star K_{3-4};C_{3-4}} or C0A2− − 8G(2− − 4)! ! {displaystyle C_{0};A_{2-8};G_{overline {(2-4)}}}}

Nuciform or schizocarpic fruits. About 180 species.

Distribution

Fairly cosmopolitan, Southern Hemisphere, and mostly Australian. Haloragis is not in Europe

Taxonomy

The family was described by Robert Brown and published in A Voyage to Terra Australis 2: 549. 1814. The type genus is: Haloragis

Genres

Nine Gros., 145 spp.:

• Glischrocaryon
• Gonocarpus
• Haloragis
• Haloragodendron, five species of shrubs, endemics of Australia
• Laurembergia
• Meziella
• Myriophyllum, 60 species of aquatic plants
• Proserpinaca
• Vinkia

Taxa from the earliest families Cercodiaceae and Myriophyllaceae are now included in the family Haloragaceae. Previously, the genus Gunnera was in this family.

Some species

• Myriophyllum submerged aquatic plants, with very fine laciniated leaves; three species.

Myriophyllum spicatum L., flowers in the apical part, more or less in spikes, in eutrofa waters.

M. verticillatum L., flowers in verticils surrounded by painted bracts, in carbonate waters; M. alterniflorum DC., verticyl flowers surrounded by pine and normal bracts, oligotropha waters. M. acuaticum in aquariums.