Lagenandra

Scientific name

Lagenandra Dalz.

Family

Araceae

Similar genera

Aridarum, Cryptocoryne, Ooia, Peliosanthes

Native distribution

Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh

Species cultivated

Lagenandra lancifolia (Schott) Thwaites

L. meeboldii (Engl.) C.E.C. Fisch.

L. ovata (L.) Thwaites

L. thwaitesii Engl.

Adventive distribution

none

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

amphibious, rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
rosette plant

Brief description

Perennial. Leaves in a rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
along rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
stem; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear to cordatecordate:
(adj) heart-shaped; in the form of two rounded lobes
, involuteinvolute:
(adj) rolled inwards (usually of leaves)
in budbud:
(n) an embryonic meristem (dividing cell-mass) enclosed in small, protective scales, that develops into a flower, leaf or another stem
(cf. Cryptocoryne); marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
or undulateundulate:
(adj) (of, e.g., a margin) with a wavy surface; wavy in the vertical (up and down) plane
; distinctly heterophyllousheterophyllous:
(adj) with dissimilar leaves on the same plant; often occurs on plants with both submersed and emersed leaves
between emersedemersed:
see emergent
and submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
growth forms. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a short spadixspadix:
(n) a spike of small flowers borne on a thick, fleshy axis
, enclosed in dilated base (kettle) of spathespathe:
(n) a large bract or bracts subtending and often enclosing an inflorescence
; spathespathe:
(n) a large bract or bracts subtending and often enclosing an inflorescence
tubular, limblimb:
(n) the expanded portion of a petal or bract (e.g., a spathe)
ovate to elongate, usually twisted.

Natural habitat

margins of streams and ponds

Additional comments

Lagenandra contains 15 species, but only a few species are routinely cultivated for the aquarium or pond plant trade.