Villarsia

Scientific name

Villarsia Vent.

Common names

water fringe, marsh-flower

Family

Menyanthaceae

Similar genera

Damasonium, Nymphoides, Ornduffia

Native distribution

Southeast Asia, Australia, South Africa.

Species cultivated

Villarsia albiflora F. Muell. [synonym of Ornduffia albiflora (F. Muell.) Tippery & Les]

V. exaltata F. Muell.

V. umbricola Aston

Adventive distribution

none

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

emergent emergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
floating or broad-leaf rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
plant

Brief description

Annual or perennialperennial:
(adj) (of a plant) having a life cycle of more than two years
. Monoeciousmonoecious:
(adj) having separate male and female flowers on the same individual
or dioeciousdioecious:
(adj) having separate male and female flowers on different individuals of the same species
. Sometimes stoloniferous. Leaves submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
, floating or emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
, in basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
rosette; petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
elongate; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
elliptic to reniformreniform:
(adj) kidney-shaped
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
or crenatecrenate:
(adj) (of a margin) with shallow, rounded teeth
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
an open paniclepanicle:
(n) an indeterminate, branched (often much-branched) inflorescence; the ultimate units may be of a different inflorescence type
or rarely a dense headhead:
(n) inflorescence consisting of small closely packed stalkless flowers or florets arising at the same level on a flattened axis; of several types, including: discoid (composed entirely of disk flowers) and radiate (composed of central disk flowers and marginal ray flowers)
. Sepals 5; petals 5, fused at base, conspicuous, usually yellow or white, fimbriatefimbriate:
(adj) fringed with long hairs or processes
(hairy) in throat, undulateundulate:
(adj) (of, e.g., a margin) with a wavy surface; wavy in the vertical (up and down) plane
along margins. Dispersal by seed.

Natural habitat

shallow water of swamps, ponds, and streams; adapts quickly to rising floodwaters by rapid petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
elongation

Additional comments

Villarsia consists of 5 species, mostly in Asia and Australia, although three species are found in South Africa. This genus is closely related to Nymphoides, with some species being placed in that genus by some authorities. Two commonly cultivated species are now placed in Ornduffia, but are offered under Villarsia.