Baldellia Explained

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 Bartolommeo Bartolini-Baldelli.^{[3] [4]} 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

Notes and References

1. Web site: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. apps.kew.org. en-GB. 2017-01-26.
2. Web site: Baldellia ranunculoides [Mestolaccia minore]]. luirig.altervista.org. it. 2017-01-26.
3. Genaust, Helmut (1976). Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen
4. http://www.zelkova.ch/sites/default/files/Kozlowski_et_al_PPEES_2008.pdf Baldellia ranunculoides