Butomopsis

Scientific name

Butomopsis Kunth

Family

Alismataceae

Similar genera

Butomus

Native distribution

tropical regions of northern Africa and Asia, northern Australia

Species cultivated

Butomopsis latifolia (D. Don) Kunth is not frequently available; if cultivated, it is offered primarily as a pond plant.

Adventive distribution

none

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

aquatic, reed-like herb; juveniles submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
, adults emergent

Brief description

Annual, erect with milky sap. Rhizomerhizome:
(n) an underground stem, usually growing horizontally, from which both roots and shoots emerge directly; the thick, above-ground stem of ferns
small, with numerous fibrous rootlets. Leaves in a basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
rosette, erect; petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
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 attenuateattenuate:
(adj) narrowing gradually to a point
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
an umbelumbel:
(n) a flat to convex inflorescence in which the flower pedicels (called rays) all arise from the same point
, 3-20 flowered; scapescape:
(n) a leafless flowering stalk arising from ground level in acaulescent plants
erect, longer than the leaves; bracts membranous, ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
; pedicelspedicel:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
erect, slender. Sepals 3, ± erect, ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
or ellipticelliptical:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
, apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
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
to obtuseobtuse:
(adj) with a blunt or rounded apex and sides coming together at an angle of more than 90 degrees
; petals 3, ± erect, deciduousdeciduous:
(adj) shedding of parts at the end of their growing period, as with leaves; those trees or shrubs that drop their leaves at the end of the season
, white, obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
; stamens typically 9 in 2 whorls (6 outer in pairs oppositeopposite:
(adj) (of leaves) two leaves per node; in pairs on opposite sides of an axis
sepals, 3 inner single, oppositeopposite:
(adj) (of leaves) two leaves per node; in pairs on opposite sides of an axis
the petals); carpels typically 6–9 whorledwhorled:
(n) bearing whorls; a type of leaf arrangement (phyllotaxis) in which leaves are in whorls
, shortly connateconnate:
(adj) of plant parts congenitally united into a single structure
below, on flat 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
, stylestyle:
(n) in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary
short.

Natural habitat

swamps, stagnant pools, marshes and rice fields

Additional comments

Butomopsis latifolia is the sole member of the genus.