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ROTALA ROTUNDIFOLIA (LYTHRACEAE) NEW TO FLORIDA Vernon Kathleen C.Burks Vandiverjr. V. Florida Department of Environmental Protection Department of Agronomy, IFAS MS 3800 Commonwealth 705 University of Florida Blvd., NW7V' 7922 Tallahassee, FL 32399, U.S.A. Street [email protected] Gainesville, FL 32653, U.S.A. C.Jacono David W.Hall Colette Caribbean Science Center Gainesville, FL 32605, U.S.A. Florida Gainesville, FL 32653, U.S.A. RESUMEN zadas de especie la Koehne amphibious Rotala rotundifolia (Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb.) is a creeping perennial found mostly in mountainous areas across a broad native range ex- TROPICOS tending from India to Japan and China (Cook 1979; 2003). It has aquarium more than been widely available in the international trade for three and more promoted water decades Roe Stodola 1967) recently in the 1967; (e.g., garden trade Schuck 2000). "Dwarf Rotala," as often called in the trade, it is (e.g., was an escape 1996 by the second collected in Florida as established in first author while consulting with water managers in the City of Coral Springs, A was Broward County in southeast Florida. robust stand spreading along the Samples edge flood-control canal coursing through a residential area. of of a naturalized populations have since been collected from a second canal loca- tion in Coral Springs, a flood-control canal in Palm Beach County to the north, community Lehigh Lee County and flood-control canals in the of Acres, in southwest Florida (Fig. 1). Additional small patches mats weie noted connecting oi in canals the In- ol A dian system Pahn Beach County 2002 Ttail June sui vey the Lehigh Acres ol canal system, Lee County, revealed additional patches the junction Charhe at ot W81 and Diversion Hickey Creek Canals (N26 6435 and on 6626) the east side Harns Marsh, impoundment (N266520 W816872), none was ol a filtration waterway found at the outfall to the Orange River, a natural that is part of the known from Caloosahatchee River basin. In North America, the species just is one other point of introduction— Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where it is well estab- around campus pond (Haynes 2002, 2003 comm.). lished a pers. known Only two congeners of this species are to occur in the continental United and Canada: the widespread native "toothcup," Rotala ramosior States Koehne, and another introduced Asian species, Rotala indica (Willd.) (L.) known County (Ma- Koehne, which from rice field edges in Butte California is son 1957; Oswald 1994) and in five parishes of Louisiana (Thieret 1972 [Thieret Thomas 2000 FLAS! [NLU] comm.). All three spe- 335^4, 1972, FSU!]; R. D. pers. m low growing, glabrous herbs found or near water; the leaves are de- are cies cussate or rarely in whorls of three. Rotala rotundifolia (Fig. 2) is easily distin- guished by usually perennial habit; emersed leaves obovate to orbicular, to 2 a cm long and cm wide; conspicuous rose-pink inflorescence of small spike- 2.5 a and become and 4-valved cap- racemes that elongate lax in post-anthesis; like Graham Reed (Cook sules 1979, 1990; 1975; 1977). sometimes been confused with has In the water-plant trade, R. rotundifolia Schuck 2000) and with an endemic of southwest India, Rotala indica R. (e.g., macrandra Koehne Benl The annual indica has leaves discussion in 1972). R. (see with cartilaginous margins, solitary flowers or short lateral spikes in distinct and (Cook upper calyx tubes longer than broad, 2-valved capsules leaf axils, much and 1979). The Indian plant R. macrandra is like R. rotundifolia in form cm, with bases but submersed leaves are usually longer, to 2.5 their habit, its & remaining more rounded (Rataj Horeman 1977). Also, R. macrandra's spike- and stamens and like racemes usually remain dense in fruit, not elongated, its styles are long exserted from the calyx tube (Cook 1979). on Presently the naturalized populations of Rotala rotundifolia Florida's much eradicated-having reduced size-though not entirely east coast are in may responded well to routine tools of chemical control for aquatic plants that and impede water flow in these canal systems. Aquatic-label glyphosate the have proven be the form 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid to aquatic-granular of comm., (2003 most successful herbicides in stopping the spread of plants pers. T Narrow, N. Sculy). Multiple tools are used in the canals, including sterile trip- amur loid grass carp, or white (Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes)), as a biocontrol agent. However, these herbivorous fish apparently are not inclined submersed they have been observed nibbling at foliage of R. to eat this species; T comm., Narrow). and immediately spitting out (2003 pers. rotundifolia it On the west coast in the Lehigh Acres system, the current situation is less and mats encouraging, with significant spread of shoreline patches floating in managers canals (2003 comm., K. Waugh). However, are trying differ- the pers. water ent tools and continuing to check for plants at the outfall gates. widely separated populations no doubt represent multiple intro- Florida's . most by dumping unwanted aquarium water-garden ductions, likely of or material. Within each canal system, the plants have probably spread by floating stem fragments, which root adventitiously at lower nodes. Seeds have been and germina- observed in collected plant samples, but their levels of viability known. Cook tion under Florida conditions are not (1979) considered this spe- and on -incompatible insect-pollinated based his cultivation studies. cies self The proximity of natural waterways and wetland conservation lands to the canal systems (Fig. calls for close monitoring to prevent inadvertent trans- 1) More port of viable stem fragments, and possibly seeds, to natural habitats. edu- human cational effort also needed to revise the age-old habit of inappropri- is unwanted ate disposal of goods. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS who Our managers and shared thanks go to local resource assisted in the field and Ken Waugh; their experience, Christine Kooienga, Terry Narrow, Nick Sculy , Rob map; and Cook con- to Kipker for generating the GIS-based to C.D.K. for firming identification of a duplicate specimen. REFERENCES 1972. Rotala macrandra Koehne (Lythraceae). Die Aquarien- und Terrarien- Benl, A.V.G. 25:198-201. Zeitschrift (Stuttgart) A genus 29:1-1 Cook, C.D.K. 979. revision of the Rotala (Lythraceae). Boissiera 56. 1 Cook, C.D.K. 990. Aquatic plant book. SPB Academic Publishingjhe Hague. 1 Taxonomy Graham, 1975. of the Lythraceae the southeastern United States. Sida S.A. in 6:80-103. Haynls, 2002. Noteworthy collections: Alabama, Rotala rotundifolia. Castanea 67:2 6. R.R. 1 Mason, H.L 1957. A of the marshes of California. Univ. of California Press, Los Angeles flora (1969 Reprint). Oswald, 994. Manual of the vascular plants of Butte County,California. California Native V. 1 Plant Society Sacramento. New Aquarium TRH. Neptune and TJ. Horeman. 1977. plants. Publications, City, Rataj, K. Handbook 977. Economically important foreign weeds. Agric. 498. Agric. Re- Reed, C.F. 1 Washington, search Service, U.S. Dept. of Agric, D.C. A manual aquarium Aquatics RoF, C. D. 1967. of plants. Shirley Ltd., Shirley, Solihull, England. ScHucK, 2000. Accent on aquatics: Rotala rotundifolia. Pondkeeper 6:40-41 S. New Stodola, 967. Encyclopedia of water plants.TF.H. Publications, Jersey City, Jersey. J. 1 Jmm, 97 Rotala indica (Lythraceae) Louisiana. Sida 5:45. }.W. 2. in ] W'TROPtCOS, TROPICOS. 2003.VAScularTROPICOS occurrence database. Rev. Mis- 1.5. souri Botanical Garden. http://mobot.mobot.org/W3T/seorch/vast.html (accessed July