Eichhornia heterosperma
Content
Description
Perennial, rooted in mud. Vegetative stem elongate, developing to and growing at the water surface; flowering stem glabrous, 1.5-5 cm long. Sessile leaves alternate, linear, acuminate at apex, 6-11 cm long; petiolate leaves emersed, the blade round to oval, 3-9 cm long, 1.2-6.2 cm wide, with an obtuse to acute apex and truncate to obtuse base; petiole 6-14 cm long. Inflorecence a spike with 4-14 flowers, all opening the same day; peduncle glabrous or nearly so, 1.2-4 cm long; spathe linear to obovate, 1.8-4 cm long. Flowers blue, tube 10-18 mm long, tepals obtuse to acute at apex, 8-10 mm long, with entire margins, the upper tepals dark at base; upper stamens 5.0-8.8 mm long, lower stamens 11-15 mm long, anthers 1.0-1.3 mm long; ovary 1-4 mm long, stigma 3-lobed, pilose; homostylous. Capsule 6-9 mm long; seeds 1.5-1.9 mm long, 0.7-1.1 mm widewith 11-15longitudinal wings.
Distribution
Guianas present present, South America present, Southern America: Colombia (Colombia present); Ecuador (Ecuador present); Nicaragua (Nicaragua present); Venezuela (Venezuela present)
Central America (south from Nicaragua) and South America (Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and Brazil); 84 collecions studied, 26 from the Guianas (GU: 13; SU: 4; FG: 9).