West indian spongeplant (Limnobium laevigatum)
Description
Limnobium laevigatum is a floating aquatic plant, which can be mistaken for Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) due to their superficial similarity. Juvenile plants grow in rosettes of floating leaves that lie prostrate upon the water surface, a distinguishing character of the juvenile plant is the presence of spongy aerenchyma tissue upon the abaxial surface (underside) of the leaf. Mature plants grow up to 50 cm tall, and have emergent leaves borne on petioles that are not swollen or inflated like the spongy leaf stalks of water hyacinth, which aid in buoyancy. Spongeplant produces stolons which bear rametes. Flowers are small, white, and unisexual. Female flowers have an inferior ovary, the fruit is a fleshy capsule 4-13 mm long and 2-5 mm in diameter, and seeds are 1 mm long, ellipsoid, and hairy. Limnobium laevigatum, or Smooth Frogbit can be distinguished from Limnobium spongia, American frogbit, by flower and leaf characteristics as well as range; American frogbit is not known to occur in western states unlike smooth frogbit.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Alismatales
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Family: Hydrocharitaceae
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Genus: Limnobium
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