BOTANY WITH BASICS OF HYDROBOTANY (AQUATIC PLANTS OF UKRAINE) - B.Ye. Yakubenko - 2011

X. SEED PLANTS

Family Burreeds (Sparganiaceae)

Perennial herbaceous marsh or aquatic plants with creeping rhizomes and simple or branched stems. Leaves are narrow, linear, and arranged in two rows. Flowers are gathered into spherical heads; the upper heads consist of staminate flowers, and the lower ones consist of pistillate flowers. The perianth is 3- to 6-parted, membranous; stamens number 3 to 6, with long filaments; pistil is single, Ovary is nearly sessile, unilocular. Fruits are drupes or nutlets with a thick spongy mesocarp, dispersed by Water, less frequently by wind.

A monotypic family comprising a single genus with 20 species, six of which occur in the flora of Ukraine.

Genus Burreed (Sparganium). Monoecious plants with a creeping rhizome and linear leaves.

Branched burreed (S. erectum L.). A plant with an erect, branched stem, 25-150(200) cm tall. Rhizome is cord-like, 30-50 cm long and up to 0.7 cm in diameter. Leaves are triangular, with a winged keel on the underside, 3-15 mm wide, entire-margined. Floating leaves are flat, elongated. Heads are spherical, with two to three pistillate heads (lower) and 5-12 staminate ones. Perianth segments are firm, dark brown, widened upward. Blooms in June–August. Fruit is a drupe, 5-7 mm long, light brown at the top and dark brown or nearly black at the base. All PARTS OF THE plant contain aerenchyma. It exhibits considerable intraspecific Variability.

Grows in sluggish fresh or brackish water bodies, along the banks of rivers, lakes, oxbow lakes, reservoirs, in marshes, and in Polissia. Under constant flooding, it forms floating leaves. Occurs in Polissia, the Forest-Steppe, the Steppe, sporadically in the Carpathian and Transcarpathian regions, and rarely in Crimea.

A forage, industrial, ornamental, medicinal, water-conserving, and shore-protecting plant. The above-ground biomass contains protein (up to 14%), Lipids (up to 2%), ascorbic acid, CARBOHYDRATES, and micro- and macroelements. It is good fodder for nutrias, muskrats, dace, and waterfowl.

The plant is mildly toxic and possesses diverse pharmacological properties. Preparations derived from it have a sedative effect, tone Cardiac Activity in cases of Hypertension, and exhibit vasoconstrictive properties. In Chinese medicine, rhizomes are used for uterine bleeding and abdominal pain, and as a Lactation-stimulating and soothing agent.

Used for landscaping water bodies and creating floral arrangements. Stems are suitable for crafting various utilitarian and decorative items.

Unbranched burreed (S. minimum Wallr.). A plant with an erect stem up to 40 cm tall, or less frequently with a floating stem up to 90 cm long with four to nine internodes. Rhizome is up to 30 cm long, transitioning into a SHOOT at the apex. Stem leaves are alternate, distichous, shorter than the stem, oblong-linear, entire-margined, 15-30 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, gradually transitioning into smaller leaves located near the inflorescence. Flowers are unisexual, gathered into spherical heads. The lower heads are pistillate, the upper ones are staminate. Staminate heads number one, rarely two; pistillate heads number two to three. They are axillary, sessile or with the lower one stalked, spaced out and remote from the staminate ones. Perianth is simple, 3- to 6-parted. Female flower has a single pistil, male flower has three stamens. Blooms in June–August. Fruit is a nutlet, 2-4 mm long.

Grows along banks in shallow waters, in depressed areas with constant flooding, in lakes, floodplains, oxbow lakes, marshes, ponds, artificial water bodies, and drainage canals at a depth of 25-100 cm. When water levels rise, it forms aquatic growth forms with floating leaves. When water bodies dry up, it forms terrestrial forms with erect, rigid leaves. Widely scattered in Polissia and the Forest-Steppe, and restricted to major river valleys in the Steppe.

Listed in the Green Book of Ukraine.

European burreed (S. emersum Rehm.). A dimorphic plant: in flowing waters, a form develops with flat, ribbon-like leaves 50-100 cm long and 5-8 mm wide; in shallow waters of closed basins and in marshes, an erect form develops with shorter leaves up to 25 cm long and 2-4 mm wide. Inflorescences develop in leaf axils; perianth is simple, consisting of three to six colorless membranous segments. Blooms in July–September.

Grows in marshes, along the banks of rivers, lakes, and ponds in the Carpathian region, Polissia, and the Forest-Steppe, and is rare in the Steppe.

A medicinal and ornamental plant. Alkaloids and ascorbic acid have been detected in the leaves and roots. Roots and rhizomes are used in cases of Snakebites. Chinese medicine recommends its use for uterine pain, delayed menstruation, and uterine bleeding.

Neglected burreed (S. neglectum Beeby). A rhizomatous plant with a stem 30-50 cm tall. Leaves are triangular or broadly linear, lacking a winged keel on the underside. Inflorescence is extremely branched, bearing two to three pistillate heads and ten to twenty staminate heads on each branch. Perianth segments of pistillate flowers are light brown. Blooms in June–August; perianth fruits are dry drupes, yellow or brown, 6-10 mm long.

Grows along the banks of water bodies, in aquatic habitats, and in shallow waters at a depth of 20-30 cm throughout Ukraine.