Herbs, perennial, freshwater aquatic. Rhizome tuberous, with fibrous roots. Leaves submerged and/or floating, basal, long petiolate, broadly elliptic to linear, with few primary veins and numerous transverse secondary veins, sheathed at base. Inflorescence usually a simple or 2-forked terminal spike; spathe present, but usually very early caducous. Flowers hermaphroditic or unisexual. Perianth segments 1-3 or rarely absent, white, yellow, mauve, or bluish violet, often petaloid, persistent. Stamens 6 to many; filaments elongated, free, filiform or flattened; anthers extrorse, 2-celled, opening by longitudinal slits. Carpels 3-6(-8), free or slightly united near base; ovary superior; style short; ovules 2-8 per carpel. Fruit a whorl of follicles. Seeds without endosperm; embryo straight.

Zhou Lingyun & Zhong Xiongwen. 1992. Aponogetonaceae. In: Sun Xiangzhong, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 8: 34-36.

One species: widely distributed in tropical and subtropical parts of Old World.

(Authors: Guo Youhao (郭友好)[26]; Robert R. Haynes[27], C. Barre Hellquist[28])