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  2. Marshes, swamp and Riverside vegetation of Khandwa district
  3. Trapa bispinosa

Trapa bispinosa

Trapa natans

Summary 3

The water caltrop, water chestnut, buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, Singhara (Hindi: सिंघाडा)سنگھارا (Urdu) or Pani-fol (Hindi: पानीफल) is any of three extant species of the genus Trapa: Trapa natans, T. bicornis and the endangered Trapa rossica. The species are floating annual aquatic plants, growing in slow-moving water up to 5 meters deep, native to warm temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa. They bear ornately shaped fruits, which in the case of T. bicornis resemble the...

Summary 4

The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus Trapa: Trapa natans, T. bicornis and the endangered Trapa rossica. It is also known as water chestnut, buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling nut, lin kok, ling kio nut, or singhara.

Description 5

Stem 2.5-6 mm in diam. Petiole (2-)5-18 cm, stout, ± swollen distally, pubescent; leaf blade glossy and dark green adaxially, greenish purple abaxially, often with colored spots between veins, deltoid-rhombic to oblate-rhombic, 4-6 × 4-8 cm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous, base broadly cuneate, margin irregularly dentate distally. Petals white, 7-10 mm. Fruit turbinate to shortly rhombic, 1.8-3 × 2-4.5 × 1-2.8 cm, (0-)2-4-horned, crest a prominent bulge to a thin rib, crown tetragonal to rounded, or dome-shaped, rarely crownless, 1-8(-11) mm, beak conic or a tuft of hairs; horns horizontal, ascending, or recurved, flat-triangular or broadly conic, 2-3.5 cm, apex barbellate or cultivated without barbs. Fl. May-Oct, fr. Jul-Nov. 2n = 44*, 46*, 48*, 76*, 90*, ?96.

Distribution 6

"Range Description: This plant has been reported from most of Europe, into southern Sweden and into European Russia. Outside Europe, it occurs throughout most of Asia, into China, the Philippines and Malaysia. It has apparently been introduced into Australia and North America, where it is now widespread and may be invasive. Countries - Native: Albania; Algeria; Angola; Austria; Belarus; Botswana; Bulgaria; China; Croatia; Czech Republic; France (France (mainland)); Germany; Greece (Greece (mainland)); Guinea-Bissau; Hungary; India; Italy (Italy (mainland)); Japan; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Malawi; Moldova; Montenegro; Mozambique; Namibia; Pakistan; Poland; Romania; Russian Federation (Central European Russia, East European Russia, North European Russia, Northwest European Russia, South European Russia); Serbia (Kosovo, Serbia); Slovakia; Slovenia; South Africa; Spain (Baleares, Spain (mainland) - Regionally Extinct); Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Tanzania, United Republic of; Tunisia; Turkey (Turkey-in-Europe); Uganda; Ukraine (Krym, Ukraine (main part)); Viet Nam; Regionally extinct: Lithuania"

General habitat 7

Ponds and tanks

Local name 8

Singhara

Flowring and fruiting 8

Flower:- Sept-Oct
Fruit:- Sept-DEc

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Karelj, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trapa_natans_Prague_2012_1.jpg
  2. (c) NY State IPM Program at Cornell University, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/99758165@N06/14632166843/
  3. Adapted by Chandan Pandey from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapa_natans
  4. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapa_natans
  5. (c) Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/5004632
  6. (c) India Biodiversity Portal, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/26326343
  7. (c) India Biodiversity Portal, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/26055531
  8. (c) Chandan Pandey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

Range Map

(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

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