Haloragaceae

Disclaimer

Content is from Kirkbride et al. 2006Kirkbride et al. 2006:
Kirkbride JH, Jr, Gunn CR, and Dallwitz MJ. 2006. Family guide for fruits and seeds, vers. 1.0. Accessed September 2020-January 2022. URL:  https://nt.ars-grin.gov/seedsfruits/keys/frsdfam/index.cfm ., without modification. 
Updates are forthcoming.

Taxonomy

Haloragaceae R. Brown

Common name: Water-milfoil Family.

Number of genera: 8 genera.

Number of species (Mabberley 1997): 120 species.

Disseminule

Fruit (dehisced), or fruit (intact or entire), or seed.

Description

Fruits: Pistil(s) compound; 2–5, or 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium, or anthocarpanthocarp:
simple or compound and including some tissue of non-ovarian origin (accessory tissue)
; simple, or schizocarpschizocarp:
usually dry fruit splitting between two or more locules to form distinct, indehiscent, usually one seeded segments; fruit derived from a single, superior or inferior, compound ovary; compare to mericarp
; acheneachene:
a dry, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit, with seed attached to pericarp at a single point, derived from a single, superior, simple or compound, one-loculed ovary
(Haloragis); achenarium (Myriophyllum); simple; diclesium (Haloragis); without persistent central column; crowned by petals; not within accessory organ(s); less than 1 cm long; 0.2–0.25 cm long; with 2–4-carpellate; with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; with carpels not radiating at maturity; without sterilesterile:
lacking male and/or female reproductive parts; also, not producing fruit or seed
carpels; not sulcatesulcate:
surface relief—having one or more elongate, relatively narrow and shallow depressions or grooves
; in transection angled; 3-angled; apexapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
beaked; apexapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
short beaked; wall sub membranaceousmembranous:
texture—extremely thin, pliable, and fairly tough
, or woodywoody:
texture—consisting mainly of indurate lignified tissues, characteristic of or resembling wood
; indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
, or dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of a fruit)
(Myriophyllum). Dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of a fruit)
unit endocarp(s). Dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of a fruit)
regularly; passively; without replumreplum:
the rim, formed by the persistent placentas, and connected by a false septum in Brassicaceae fruits. The fruit valves are attached to this rim and separate from it in dehiscent fruits.
. Epicarpepicarp:
outer layer of fruit wall or pericarp, if divided into layers; note here used synonymously with exocarp
brown (all shades), or yellow; durable; glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
; without armature; smooth, or not smooth; yellowish-black warted, or rugoserugose:
wrinkled
, or tuberculatetuberculate:
surface relief—bearing small, warty, swelling, rounded, or variously shaped projections
(or costate or channeled ornaments); without wing(s), or with wing(s) (Haloragis, Myriophyllum); without apicalapical:
at or pertaining to the end of the seed or fruit distal from its point of attachment (i.e., base)
respiratory hole. Mesocarpmesocarp:
the middle layer of the pericarp, if divided into layers
present; & endocarpendocarp:
the inner layer of the pericarp, if divided into layers
sharply differentiated. Endocarpendocarp:
the inner layer of the pericarp, if divided into layers
present; not separating from exocarpexocarp:
outer layer of fruit wall or pericarp, if divided into layers; note here used synonymously with epicarp
; woodywoody:
texture—consisting mainly of indurate lignified tissues, characteristic of or resembling wood
; splitting into 1-seeded pyrenespyrene:
the hard inner portion of a drupe, consisting of a bony endocarp and an enclosed seed
, or not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; stone unilocular; stone 2–4-loculate; without wing; without operculumoperculum:
a dehiscent cap (or lid) of a seed or fruit that opens during germination or dehiscence
; without secretory cavities; without longitudinallongitudinal:
of or relating to length or the lengthwise dimension
ridges. Funiculusfuniculus:
(alt. funicle) stalk connecting the ovule (later seed) to the ovary (later fruit) placenta
short; short without seed bearing hookswith hooks:
bristles or spines with curved or backwards pointing tips, or with secondary bristles along their length
(retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.

Seeds: Arilaril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
absent. Seed not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beakbeak:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
; without caudatecaudate:
tapering to a long, tail-like appendage
appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotestasarcotesta:
pulpy or fleshy outer layer of the seed coat, simulates aril
absent. Testatesta:
seed coat
present; without fleshy or leatheryleathery:
texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable
layer over hard layer; tight; without crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle; without notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approach each other; without glands; without bristles; glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
; without wings; without collar; without operculumoperculum:
a dehiscent cap (or lid) of a seed or fruit that opens during germination or dehiscence
; colored; monochrome; membranousmembranous:
texture—extremely thin, pliable, and fairly tough
; not becoming mucilaginousmucilaginous:
resembling mucilage; moist and sticky
when wetted; surrounding embryo. Endosperm development cellular, or nuclear (Laurembergia); copious, or moderate, or scant; fleshy-soft; corrugated; with starch; with oils; without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apicalapical:
at or pertaining to the end of the seed or fruit distal from its point of attachment (i.e., base)
lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; partially filling testatesta:
seed coat
(with food reserve); 1 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axileaxile:
on or of the axis
and centric; linearlinear:
(shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide
; straight; parallel to seed length; embedded in endosperm; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; 0.1–0.3 times length of embryo; 1 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; flat; smooth; with apicesapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctatepunctate:
surface relief—dotted with pits or with translucent, sunken glands or with colored dots, similar to pitted
dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle well developed; not thickened.

Habitat and crop association

Noxious weeds: 1 or more USA state noxious weeds in this family.

USA states and territories with listed noxious weeds: Alabama (AL), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Florida (FL), Idaho (ID), Iowa (IA), Maine (ME), Minnesota (MN), Nevada (NV), New Hampshire (NH), New Mexico (NM), North Carolina (NC), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Puerto Rico (PR), South Carolina (SC), Texas (TX), Vermont (VT), Washington (WA), and Wisconsin (WI).

USA state and territory noxious weeds:

Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc.: USA state noxious weed: ALª, MEª, NHª, OKª, PRª, VTª, WAª.

Myriophyllum heterophyllum Michx.: USA state noxious weed: MEª, NHª, VTª.

Myriophyllum spicatum L.: USA state noxious weed: ALª, CAª, COª, FLª, IAª, IDª, MEª, MNª, NCª●, NHª, NMª, NVª●, OKª, ORª, PRª, SCª, TXª, VTª, WAª, WIª.

Myriophyllum spp.: USA state noxious weed: PRª.

Symbols: ªaquatic weed; ●terrestrial weed; °weed in seed.

Last updated February 2006.

Distribution

General distribution: Cosmopolitan (mostly in Southern Hemisphere, especially in Australia). New World and Old World.

Detailed distribution: North America to Oceania (mostly southern hemisphere & Australia).

References

Literature specific to this family: Orchard, A.E. 1975. Taxonomic revisions in the family Haloragaceae. I. The genera Haloragis, Haloragodendron, Glischrocaryon, Meziella, and Gonocarpus. Bull. Auckland Inst. Mus. 10:1–299; Durani, S. & A.M. Kak. 1986. Seed studies on the aquatic genus Myriophyllum (Haloragaceae). J. Pl. Anat. Morphol. 3:123–127.

General references: Corner, E.J.H. 1976. The seeds of Dicots, esp. vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, New York, Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, Engler, A. & K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, Gaertner, J. 1788–1805. De fructibus et seminibus plantarum. The Author, Stuttgart, Goldberg, A. 1986 (dicots) & 1989 (monocots). Classification, evolution, and phylogeny of the familes of Dicotyledons. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 58 for dicots (314 pp.) & 71 for monocots (74 pp.). [Goldberg's illustrations are reproduced from older publications and these should be consulted], Gunn, C.R. & C.A. Ritchie. 1988. Identification of disseminulesdisseminule:
detachable plant part capable of being disseminated and of propagating, commonly a seed or fruit
listed in the Federal Noxious Weed Act. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1719:1–313, Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, & J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 & amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, LeMaout, E. & J. Decaisne. 1876. A general system of botany, 1,065 p. Longmans, Green, & Co., London, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, and Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.