Morphological characters and geographical distribution are the same as those of the family.

The name Callitriche stagnalis Scopoli has been misapplied E of the Ural mountains of Russia. In China it has mainly been applied to C. fehmedianii.

In 1966, Callitriche alata A. I. Baranov & Skvortsov was described, based on a single specimen. The description is insufficient to separate it from other taxa occurring in the region; few details of reproductive features are provided and could apply to C. fuscicarpa, C. palustris var. oryzetorum, or C. raveniana. The details of the holotype are also very sparse, and it is not clear how easy it might be to recognize it if it is represented in other herbaria.