Littorella

Scientific name

Littorella P.J. Bergius

Common names

shoreweed

Family

Plantaginaceae

Similar genera

Centrolepis, Eleocharis, Isoetes, Isolepis, Lilaeopsis. Lobelia, Pilularia, Sagittaria, Trithuria

Native distribution

North America, Europe, South America

Species cultivated

Littorella americana Fernald

L. uniflora (L.) Asch.

Adventive distribution

not known

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

small emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
or littorallittoral:
(adj) of or along the shore
, mat-forming plant

Brief description

Perennial, stoloniferous, forming dense mats. Leaves in a basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
rosette; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear, subcylindrical to flattened. Flowers inconspicuous, +/- 4 mm in diameter, actinomorphicactinomorphic:
(adj) of flowers, having radial symmetry; capable of being bisected into identifical halves along more than one axis
, unisexualunisexual:
(adj) (of a flower) with either stamens (male) or pistils (female) but not both; consisting of only male or female flowers
; male flowers solitary, pedicellatepedicellate:
(adj) borne on a pedicel
; female flowers in few-flowered spikespike:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranching inflorescence of sessile flowers or flower clusters on a usually elongated axis
. Sepals 4; petals 4, fused at base, scariousscarious:
(adj) dry, thin, membranous, non-green, more or less translucent
. Fruit a hard nut. Dispersal of nuts unknown.

Natural habitat

littoral littoral:
(adj) of or along the shore
areas of still or running waters

Additional comments

A genus of three accepted species; L. uniflora (L.) Asch. and L. americana Fernald are both accepted species but are often used as synonyms.