MONOCHORIA VAGINALIS

MONOCHORIA VAGINALIS



Monochoria vaginalis







Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

(unranked): Angiosperms

(unranked): Monocots

(unranked): Commelinids

Order: Commelinales

Family: Pontederiaceae

Genus: Monochoria

Species: M. vaginalis

Binomial name

Monochoria vaginalis

(Burm.f.) C.Presl ex Kunth

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