Baldellia

Lore & Background

Baldellia is a genus of aquatic plants commonly known as lesser water-plantains. It includes three species found across much of Europe and the Mediterranean from Ireland and the Canary Islands to Turkey and Estonia. The genus is named in honor of the Italian nobleman Bartolommeo Bartolini-Baldelli. Baldellia is very closely related to Echinodorus.

Leaves are aerial, elliptical to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate. Flowers are hermaphrodite, in 1–3 whorls in umbels or racemes, or long-pedunculate in leaf-axils. Stamens number 6. Carpels are numerous, spirally arranged in a globose head, free, each with 1 ovule; styles apical. Fruitlets are achenial, longitudinally 5-ribbed (3 dorsal ribs and 2 closely approximated ventral ribs), with a short, apical beak. The form is variable according to ecological conditions.

The three recognized species are Baldellia alpestris (northwestern Spain and northern Portugal), Baldellia ranunculoides (with varieties ranunculoides and tangerina), and Baldellia repens (with subspecies baetica, cavanillesii, and repens).

Reader's Guide

Baldellia is notable for its close relationship to Echinodorus, a genus well-known in the aquarium trade. Its three species are distributed across Europe and the Mediterranean, from Ireland and the Canary Islands to Turkey and Estonia. The genus was named after the Italian nobleman Bartolommeo Bartolini-Baldelli. Its morphological features include aerial leaves, hermaphrodite flowers with 6 stamens, and achenial fruitlets with 5 longitudinal ribs. The plant's form is variable according to ecological conditions, which may affect its appearance in cultivation. The species and subspecies show a range of geographic distributions, with Baldellia ranunculoides var. ranunculoides spanning from the Azores and Ireland to Turkey and Estonia, while other taxa are more localized in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Algeria, and the Canary Islands. This variability and wide range make Baldellia a genus of interest for aquatic plant enthusiasts, though its specific requirements and uses in aquaria are not detailed in the source.

Did You Know?

• The genus is very closely related to Echinodorus.
• Baldellia has a chromosome number of 2n=16.
• Its fruitlets are achenial with 5 longitudinal ribs (3 dorsal and 2 ventral).