Ludwigia (plant)

Ludwigia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Ludwigia
L.
Species

See text.

Ludwigia (primrose-willow, water-purslane, or water-primrose) is a genus of about 75 species of aquatic plants with a cosmopolitan but mainly tropical distribution.

Selected species

  • Ludwigia linifolia
  • Ludwigia longifolia
  • Ludwigia maritima
  • Ludwigia microcarpa
  • Ludwigia natans
  • Ludwigia octovalvis
  • Ludwigia palustris
  • Ludwigia peploides
  • Ludwigia peruviana
  • Ludwigia pilosa
  • Ludwigia polycarpa
  • Ludwigia ravenii
  • Ludwigia repens
  • Ludwigia sedioides
  • Ludwigia simpsonii
  • Ludwigia spathulata
  • Ludwigia sphaerocarpa
  • Ludwigia suffruticosa
  • Ludwigia virgata

At current, there is much debate among botanists and plant taxonomists as to the classification of many Ludwigia species. Botanists from the US Department of Agriculture are currently doing genetic analyses on plants from the Western US and South America to better classify members of this genus.

The genus was named by Carolus Linnaeus after Christian Gottlieb Ludwig (1709-1773), a German botanist, who was apparently not amused by this honour.

Gallery

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ludwigia.