Alisma gramineum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alisma gramineum |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Alisma
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| Species: |
gramineum
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| Synonyms | |
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Alisma geyeri |
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Alisma gramineum is a small aquatic plant. It belongs to the water-plantain family. People call it by many names. Some names are narrowleaf water-plantain or grass-leaved water-plantain. It grows in wet, muddy places. You can find it in shallow fresh or brackish water in marshy areas.
Description
This plant has leaves and tiny white flowers. The flowers sometimes have a purple tint. They can grow underwater or above it. When flowers grow underwater, they stay closed. They pollinate themselves without opening. This is called cleistogamous. When flowers grow above water, they open up.
Leaves above water are stiff and wide. But underwater leaves look like ribbons. The fruit is a ring of dry, small nutlets. The plant reproduces in two ways. It can grow from seeds. Or it can grow from dividing its underground stem, called a corm.
Distribution
Alisma gramineum grows in many places. You can find it across cool parts of Asia and Europe. It also grows in North Africa. This includes countries from France to China and Yakutsk. It is found in much of Canada. This includes areas from British Columbia to Quebec.
It also grows in most western parts of the United States. You can also see it in New York, Vermont, and Virginia. In the United Kingdom, this plant is rare. It is a protected species there. It was first found in Britain in Worcestershire in 1920. Later, it was found by the River Glen in Lincolnshire.
At both places, there are only a few plants. Their numbers change each year. It usually grows in shallow water. This water is rich in nutrients. It likes the edges of ponds and wet areas. This plant can live for one year. Or it can live for a few years. Its seeds can stay alive for a long time. They sometimes sprout after the ground has been moved.
See also
In Spanish: Alisma gramineum para niños
