Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Ceratophyllum demersum

Edible: Leaves

A plant which grows in water and under the water. It forms tangled colonies. The stems are brittle and do not have roots. They are branched. They can be 2 m long. The leaves are 1.5-4 cm long and slender. They are dark green and forked. There are 7-12 leaves in a ring. The flowers are small and occur singly at the nodes. The flowers are of one sex. Male flowers have several stamens on a common stalk. Female flowers have an ovary without a stalk. The fruit are black and 4.5 mm long. There are 3 spines one at the end and 2 at the sides.

They grow in temperate to tropical waters. It occurs in streams, ponds and lakes. It grows in still or slow-flowing water. It can be in water up to 10 m deep. Flowers and fruit occur in water about 25°C. It grows best in slightly alkaline water rich in nitrogen. In Zimbabwe it grows up to 1,600 m above sea level. in Sichuan and Yunnan. In Uni of Calicut BG.

Common Names: Hornwort, Rigid hornwort, Candelabroaquatica, Cola de mono, Coontal, Foxtail, Gamban, Jin yu zao, Ksitsi, Mpusi, Nambha, Nasu, Navadni rogolist, Sheoyala, Shivala, Sivara, Ye-hnyi

Synonyms: 

Ceratophyllum oxyacanthum Cham.;
Ceratophyllum tuberculatum Cham.;
and several others