Ranalisma

Scientific name

Ranalisma Stapf

Common names

none

Family

Alismataceae

Similar genera

Cryptocoryne, Echinodorus, Helanthium, Lilaeopsis, Limosella, Littorella, Sagittaria

Native distribution

southeast Asia and tropical and subtropical west Africa

Species cultivated

Ranalisma rostrata Stapf

R. rostratum Stapf in Hook.

R. humile (Rich. ex Kunth) Hutch. (may still be traded though no longer commercially available)

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

information not available

Habit

semi-aquatic to aquatic herb; juveniles submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
, adults floating, emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
or seasonally terrestrial

Brief description

Small stoloniferous rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
. Leaves aerial, floating, or submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
, basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
; petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
long, erect, basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
membranous sheath absent on submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
leaves; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear to ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
, or linear-lanceolate; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
rounded, slightly acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
; base subcordate to cuneatecuneate:
(adj) wedge-shaped; triangular, with narrow end at the base
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
pinnatepinnate:
(adj) in the form of a feather; of, e.g., leaflets, lobes, or veins: arranged in two rows along an axis
or midveinmidvein:
(n) the primary, usually central vein of a leaf or leaflet
only when submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
radical, solitary flower or 2-3-flowered umbelumbel:
(n) a flat to convex inflorescence in which the flower pedicels (called rays) all arise from the same point
; pedunculatepedunculate:
(adj) borne on or possessing a peduncle
; bracts 2, slightly keeledkeeled:
(adj) having a keel; sharply creased
, basally fused; laterallateral:
(adj) on or pertaining to the side of an organ or structure
flowers occasionally replaced by vegetativevegetative:
(adj) (1) pertaining to or to the growth of plant organs or plant parts that have nonreproductive functions, such as leaves, roots, stems, etc.; (2) concering non sexual propagules such as tubers, turions, stem fragments, root crowns, rhizomes
buds, pedunclepeduncle:
(n) the stalk of a flower cluster or inflorescence
becomes stolon-like and buds develop into new plants. Flowers pedicellatepedicellate:
(adj) borne on a pedicel
; sepals 3, broadly ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
, apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
obtuse, reflexedreflexed:
(adj) abruptly curved or bent downward
in fruit, persistentpersistent:
(adj) (of leaves etc,) remaining attached; not being dropped or falling off
, light green; petals 3, ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
to obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
, alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
with sepals, larger, white; receptaclereceptacle:
(n) the portion of the pedicel on which the flowers are borne, or in the Asteraceae, the portion of the peduncule upon which the florets of the head are borne
convex; stamens 9, filaments filiformfiliform:
(adj) thread-like; long and thin
, anthers oval; carpels numerous, free, spirally arranged, stylestyle:
(n) in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary
erect, beaked.

Natural habitat

open swamps and marshes

Additional comments

The growth form of Ranalisma varies considerably; its submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
leaves are narrow and lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
and its emersedemersed:
see emergent
leaves are ellipticalelliptical:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
. It forms dense mats through prolific production of stolons. Ranalisma consists of four species that are occasionally placed in Echinodorus.