Blyxa Thouars

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.