Baldellia

Baldellia
Baldellia ranunculoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Alismatales
Family:	Alismataceae
Genus:	Baldellia Parl.
Species
see text

Baldellia is a genus of aquatic plants commonly known as lesser water-plantains. It includes three species found across much of Europe and the Mediterranean from Ireland and the Canary Islands to Turkey and Estonia.^[1][2] The genus is named in honor of the Italian nobleman Bartolomea Bartoloni-Baldelli.^[3] Baldellia is very closely related to Echinodorus.

Description

Leaves aerial, elliptical to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate. Flowers hermaphrodite, in 1 - 3 whorls in umbels or racemes, or long-pedunculate in leaf-axils. Stamens 6. Carpels numerous, spirally arranged in a globose head, free, each with 1 ovule; styles apical. Fruitlets achenial, longitudinally 5-ribbed (3 dorsal ribs and 2 closely approximated ventral ribs), with a short, apical beak. 2n=16.

Variable in form according to ecological conditions.

Species

Three species are recognized:^[1]

• Baldellia alpestris (Cosson) Vasc. - northwestern Spain and northern Portugal
• Baldellia ranunculoides (L.) Parl.
  • Baldellia ranunculoides var ranunculoides - from the Azores and Ireland to Turkey and Estonia
  • Baldellia ranunculoides var. tangerina (Pau) J.Rocha - Spain, Portugal, Morocco
• Baldellia repens (Lam.) Ooststr
  • Baldellia repens subsp. baetica Talavera & Casimiro-Soriguer - southwestern Spain
  • Baldellia repens subsp. cavanillesii (Molina Abril, A.Galán, J.M.Pizarro & Sard.Rosc.) Talavera - Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Netherlands
  • Baldellia repens subsp. repens - Canaries, Spain, Portugal, Algeria

References

1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
2. Altervista Flora Italiana, Mestolaccia ranunculoide, Baldellia ranunculoides
3. Genaust, Helmut (1976). Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen ISBN 3-7643-0755-2