ABDUL GHAFOOR

A caulescent submerged herb with coarse, up to 10 cm long, terete stolons. Leaves redical, linear-oblong, ribbon-shaped, upto 50 cm long, 1-1.5 (-2) cm broad, faintly 7-9-costate, costae parallel. intercostals present, longitudinally brown-black striped, margins faintly denticulate to entire, obtuse. Male spathes oblong, c. 6 mm long, peduncles 2-3 cm long. Male flowers pedicellate, c. 0.5 mm across; sepals unequal, recurved; stamen solitary by fusion or 2, erect. Female spathe 1-2 cm long, enveloping the ovary to more than half its length, bilobed at apex, peduncle filiform, longer to nearly as long as leaves, spirally coiled in fruit. Female flower: solitary; sepals ovate-oblong. 1.5-4 mm long, c. 1-2 mm broad, obtuse, persistent; ovary 1.5-2.5 cm long, styles 3. bifid, alternating with the scarious rudimentary petals, stigmas hairy. Fruit up to 20 cm long, greensih-yellow, many-seeded. Seeds fusiform to cylindrical, 1.5-3 mm long.

Fl. Per.: October-March.

Type: “Habitat in Pisae & Florentiae fossis”.

Distribution: South Europe, West Asia to Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.

It is commonly grown in aquaria.