Cabomba

Cabomba
Cabomba aquatica (from Lindley 1853)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Order: Nymphaeales
Family: Cabombaceae
Genus: Cabomba
Aubl.
Type species
Cabomba aquatica Aublet[1]
Species

See text

Synonyms[2]
  • Nectris Schreb.
  • Villarsia Neck.

Cabomba is an aquatic plant genus, one of two belonging to the family Cabombaceae. It has divided submerged leaves in the shape of a fan (hence the vernacular name fanwort) and is much favoured by aquarists as an ornamental and oxygenating plant for fish tanks. One species, Cabomba caroliniana, is a nationally declared weed in Australia, where it has choked up waterways after escaping from aquaria.

Cabomba aquatica growing sympatrically with Nymphaea rudgeana
Detail of peltate floating leaves and flower of Cabomba aquatica
Detail of peltate floating leaves and flower of Cabomba aquatica
Submerged leaf of Cabomba caroliniana A.Gray with scale bar (2 cm) on a white background
leaves and flowers of a Cabomba species in water
Cabomba aquatica Aubl.

Taxonomy

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Species

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The genus Cabomba Aubl. consists of six species:[2]

Flowers and reproduction

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The perianth of Cabomba is either trimerous (having members in each whorl in groups of three) or dimerous (in groups of two) with white, oval-shaped petals, and is usually about 2.0 cm (0.79 in) across when fully developed. The petals are unlike the sepals in that the former have two yellow ear-shaped nectaries at the base. Petals may also have purplish edges. Flowers are protogynous, having primarily female sexual structures on the first day of appearance and then switching to male on the second and subsequent days. Flowers emerge and are designed to be pollinated above the waterline. Principal pollinators are flies and other small flying insects.[3]

Cabomba as an aquarium plant

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Cabomba species are popular aquarium plants.[4] Cabomba caroliniana is easily cultivated and is tolerant of various substrates and temperatures.[5][4] However, in dimly lit conditions the leaves grow small and the internodes of the stems elongate.[5] By contrast, Cabomba furcata is considered to be difficult to cultivate in the aquarium, as it requires soft, acid water and a high light intensity.[6][7][8]

Invasive species

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Use in the aquarium trade has led to some species being introduced to other parts of the world, such as Australia, where Cabomba caroliniana it is a nationally declared weed.[9] Having arrived in 1967, it spread rapidly in waterways and out-competed native plants, threatening water supplies, especially along the eastern side of the continent.[10] In Australia, the cabomba weevil (Hydrotimetes natans) is introduced to waterways as a means of biological control of Cabomba caroliniana.[11][10] They consume the plant's tips and inflict significant harm when present in large quantities. Larvae burrow within the stems and result in substantial damage to the main stem due to tissue necrosis.[12]

Likewise, Cabomba furcata has become an invasive species in Kerala, India,[13][14] in the Kalutara district of Sri Lanka,[15] in Chini Lake, Malaysia,[16] and Taiwan.[17][18] Its presence leads to a decline of water quality and biodiversity.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Cabomba | International Plant Names Index. (n.d.). Retrieved August 13, 2023, from https://www.ipni.org/n/328528-2
  2. ^ a b "Cabomba Aubl". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. ^ Klaus Kubitzki; Jens G. Rohwer; Volker Bittrich (28 July 1993). Flowering Plants · Dicotyledons: Magnoliid, Hamamelid and Caryophyllid Families. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 159. ISBN 978-3-540-55509-4.
  4. ^ a b Zernecke, E. (1897). Leitfaden für Aquarien- und Terrarienfreunde: Im Auftrage des "Triton" Verein für Aquarien- und Terrarienkunde zu Berlin. p. 53. Deutschland: G. Schmidt.
  5. ^ a b Bade, E. (1896). Das Süsswasser-Aquarium: Geschichte, Flora und Fauna des Süsswasser-Aquariums, seine Anlage und Pflege. pp. 95-96. Deutschland: F. Pfenningstorff.
  6. ^ Die Gegabelte Haarnixe - Cabomba furcata. (2020, November 16). Aquarium Ratgeber. Retrieved October 3, 2024, from https://www.aquarium-ratgeber.com/aquarienpflanzen/pflanzen-vz/haarnixe/gegabelte-haarnixe/
  7. ^ Cabomba furcata - Red Cabomba. (n.d.). Flowgrow. Retrieved October 3, 2024, from https://www.flowgrow.de/db/aquaticplants/cabomba-furcata
  8. ^ Wong, D. (2021, June 8). How to grow Cabomba furcata. The 2Hr Aquarist. Retrieved October 3, 2024, from https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/freshwater-aquarium-plants-guide/how-to-grow-cabomba-furcata
  9. ^ "Cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana)". NSW WeedWise. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  10. ^ a b Nichols, Jennifer (10 July 2023). "Cabomba weevil unleashed on weed-infesting Australian waterways". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  11. ^ Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. (2023, May 9). Hydrotimetes natans for the biological control of Cabomba caroliniana. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/policy/risk-analysis/biological-control-agents/risk-analyses/completed-risk-analyses/ra-release-hydrotimetes-natans
  12. ^ Kumaran, N., Vance, T. J., Comben, D., Dell, Q., Oleiro, M. I., Goñalons, C. M., ... & Raghu, S. (2022). "Hydrotimetes natans as a suitable biological control agent for the invasive weed Cabomba caroliniana." Biological Control, 169, 104894.
  13. ^ “Bloom of pink” spotted on lake in Kerala turns out to be major threat to aquatic system. (2020, December 4). The New Indian Express. Retrieved October 3, 2024, from https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2020/Dec/04/bloom-of-pink-spotted-on-lake-inkerala-turns-out-to-be-major-threat-to-aquatic-system-2231918.html
  14. ^ K. A. Shaji. (2020, December 15). Kerala’s ‘pink phenomenon’ can choke water bodies and drains, warn scientists. Down to Earth. Retrieved October 3, 2024, from https://www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-biodiversity/kerala-s-pink-phenomenon-can-choke-water-bodies-and-drains-warn-scientists-74645
  15. ^ Yakandawala, D. M. D., Yakandawala, K., Madola, I., & Herath, H. M. L. K. (2022). Would history repeat? Detection of Cabomba furcata, a potential invasive plant in natural ecosystems of Sri Lanka. Ceylon Journal of Science, 51(2), 155-163.
  16. ^ Yunoh, S. M. M. (2011, December 28). Cabomba furcata (Cabombaceae). Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). https://www.mybis.gov.my/art/130
  17. ^ Cabomba piauhyensis 紅花穗蓴. (n.d.). 台灣植物資訊整合查詢系統. Retrieved October 3, 2024, from https://tai2.ntu.edu.tw/species/342%20002%2002%200
  18. ^ Wu, S. H., Yang, T. A., Teng, Y. C., Chang, C. Y., Yang, K. C., & Hsieh, C. F. (2010). Insights of the latest naturalized flora of Taiwan: change in the past eight years. Taiwania, 55(2), 139-159.
  19. ^ Rao, G. P., & Rani, K. S. A report on the biological invasion of alien plant species red Cabomba in the Kozhikode district of Kerala state and its impact on agro-ecosystem. Issues in Biodiversity Conservation and Management, 103.
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Media related to Cabomba at Wikimedia Commons

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