Salviniaceae
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Floating fern family
Salviniaceae
サンショウモ科
Free-floating, heterosporous aquatic ferns. The genus Salvinia lacks roots and possesses water-repellent micro-hairs on the surface of floating leaves. In Japan, Salvinia natans is found in rice paddies and ponds but its populations are declining.
Key Characteristics
- ●Free-floating aquatic fern lacking roots
- ●Heterosporous (megasporangia and microsporangia enclosed in sporocarps)
- ●Water-repellent micro-hairs (tennis-racket shaped) on floating leaf surfaces
- ●Three leaves per node: two opposite floating leaves and one submerged leaf (functioning as a root substitute)
Phylogenetic Position
Vascular plants > Polypodiophyta > Polypodiopsida > Salviniales > Salviniaceae
Divergence Era
Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 80 million years ago–)
Representative Genera
サンショウモ属（Salvinia）
Related Evolution Events
- ・Loss of roots and evolution of submerged leaves as functional root substitutes
- ・Development of water-repellent micro-hairs (a biological origin of the lotus effect)
Plants in Floating fern family on this site
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