Blyxa Thouars

Symoens, J.J. (2009) Hydrocharitaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(2)

Description of the genus

Annual or perennial, submerged, freshwater herbs. Roots simple, adventitious. Stems corm-like or elongate and rhizomatous or stoloniferous, or erect. Leaves sessile, spirally arranged, radical or cauline, linear to elliptic, acuminate to obtuse, attenuate towards apex, translucent, with up to 28 longitudinal veins; margins green, denticulate, at least towards the apex. Nodal scales 2 per leaf, triangular with entire margins. Spathe solitary in leaf-axil, sessile or pedunculate, cylindric, 2-lobed at the apex, somewhat translucent, 2–6-veined, with 1–2(–22) flowers. Sepals 3, linear to linear-lanceolate; petals 3, filiform to lanceolate, acute to obtuse, papillose, often erect. Ovary of 3 carpels, narrowly cylindric. Fruit elongate, narrowly cylindric, disintegrating at maturity. Seeds numerous, ellipsoid or ovoid, smooth, tuberculate, winged, ribbed or spiny.

Worldwide: Species 9, widely distributed in tropical regions of the Old World.

Zambia: 2 taxa.

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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsProvincesContent
hexandra Cook & Lüönd NN
radicans Ridl B,N,WNw,N,W

Other sources of information about Blyxa:

Our websites:

Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Blyxa
Flora of Mozambique: Blyxa

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Blyxa
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Blyxa
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Blyxa
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Blyxa
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Blyxa
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Blyxa
JSTOR Plant Science: Blyxa
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Blyxa
Plants of the World Online: Blyxa
Tropicos: Blyxa
Wikipedia: Blyxa

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-24

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2024). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Blyxa.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=2348, retrieved 29 March 2024

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