5473.000 Rotala L.

Clarke, H. & Charters, M. (ed. Moll, E.) (2016) The Illustrated Dictionary of Southern African Plant Names Jacana Media, South Africa

Leistner, O.A. (ed.) (2000) Seed plants of southern Africa: families and genera Strelitzia 10

Description of the genus

Annual, or rarely perennial herbs, stems terete or quadrangular. Leaves opposite-decussate or verticillate, rarely alternate. Flowers small, usually solitary and subsessile in leaf axils, occasionally aggregate into racemes or spikes. Calyx 4-6-lobed; lobes often alternating with horned appendages; nectaries often present at the base of the tube. Petals as many as calyx lobes or 0. Fruit capsule with 2-4 valves. Seeds small with mucilaginous hairs.

Derivation of name: From the Latin rotalis meaning wheel-like, referring to the whorled leaves.

Worldwide: 40 species, 8 in southern Africa.

Zimbabwe: 11 taxa.

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

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
capensis (Harv.) A. Fern. & DinizW,C,S
filiformis (Bellardi) HiernN,W,C
fluitans PohnertN
gossweileri KoehneN
juniperina A. Fern.C
longistyla GibbsW,C
lucalensis A. Fern. & Diniz[End][DD]N,W
mexicana Cham. & Schltdl.N,C
myriophylloides Welw. ex HiernN,W,CDescription, Image
serpiculoides Welw. ex HiernN,W,C,S
tenella (Guill. & Perr.) HiernN,W,C,S

Other sources of information about Rotala:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Rotala
Flora of Burundi: Rotala
Flora of Caprivi: Rotala
Flora of Malawi: Rotala
Flora of Mozambique: Rotala
Flora of Zambia: Rotala

External websites:

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

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Genus page: Rotala.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1001, retrieved 9 December 2024

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