Ceratophyllum echinatum

Ceratophyllum echinatum, commonly called spineless hornwort, is an aquatic perennial plant of the genus Ceratophyllum.^[1] It can be found in ponds and lakes. It is principally an eastern North American species and the only species of its genus endemic to North America.^[2]

Description

Ceratophyllum echinatum is an aquatic herb. The spineless hornwort usually does not have any roots with stems that are freely branching (0.3-4.0 m long). The leaves are submerged and they are usually in whorls of 5 to 12. Its flower does not have any petals but have sepals (3-15) that are sometimes mistaken for petals. The flower is tiny, could be male or female, and contains about 12 to 16 stamens.^[3] It blooms from February to July. The fruits have dry seeds with a lot of spines and a rough surface.^[4]

Distribution

Ceratophyllum echinatum can be found in the United States and also in some parts of Canada.^[5]

Economic value

It is often used in aquariums because of the way they look, its high oxygen production, and its ability to minimize the blue-green algae growth.

Threatened and endangered status

Several states list this species as threatened or endangered:^[6]

• Maine: prickly hornwort - special concern
• Maryland : prickly hornwort - endangered
• New Jersey: spiny coontail - endangered
• New York: prickly hornwort - threatened
• Tennessee: pricky hornwort - special concern

Origin of the name

Ceratophyllum comes from the Greek keras, "a horn" and phyllon, "leaf", which is alluding to the stiff and narrow leaf divisions. The specific epithet echinatum comes from echinus which means "sea-urchin or hegdehog"; therefore it is called "spiny".^[7]

References

Wikispecies has information related to: Ceratophyllum echinatum