Stratiotes

For other uses, see Stratioti and Stratiotes (beetle).
water soldier
Stratiotes aloides[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Hydrocharitaceae
Subfamily: Stratiotoideae
Genus: Stratiotes
L.
Species: Stratiotes aloides
Binomial name
Stratiotes aloides
L.
Synonyms[2]
  • Stratiotes aquaticus Pall.
  • Stratiotes ensiformis Gilib.
  • Stratiotes aculeatus Stokes
  • Stratiotes generalis E.H.L.Krause
Stratiotes aloides flower

Stratiotes is a genus of submerged aquatic plant commonly known as water soldiers,[3] described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753.[4][5] Several specific names have been coined within the genus, but at present only one is recognized: Stratiotes aloides, native to Europe and NW Asia.[2]

formerly included in genus

moved to other genera: Enhalus Hydrocleys Ottelia

  1. Stratiotes acoroides - Enhalus acoroides
  2. Stratiotes alismoides - Ottelia alismoides
  3. Stratiotes nymphoides - Hydrocleys nymphoides
  4. Stratiotes quinquealatus - Ottelia alismoides

Description

The leaves are serrate and very brittle, breaking easily when handled. Reproduction is generally by offsets, which may number 5 or more per plant. In the UK, male plants have rarely if ever been recorded, although some hermaphrodite flowers have been recorded from more southerly locations. Sexual reproduction is not known to occur. A characteristic of the genus is the habit of the plants rising to the surface at flowering time.

Ecology

The plant appears to be associated with calcareous waters and there is a suggestion that changing levels of calcium carbonate on the leaves may explain the floating and submerging behaviour.

Stratiotes aloides plants

The rare dragonfly, the Norfolk hawker (Aeshna isosceles), relies on the presence of Stratiotes aloides as a food source for the smaller insects on which it feeds. They are very winter hardy

Uses

Stratiotes aloides is commonly used in cool water ponds and aquariums in Europe

References

  1. ↑ 1885 illustration of Stratoides aloides, water soldier from Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomas, Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz. 1885, Gera, Germany
  2. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ↑ "Stratiotes". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 535 in Latin
  5. ↑ Tropicos, Stratiotes L.


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