Cabomba Aubl.

Perennial freshwater aquatic herbs with creeping stolons. Stems mucilaginous, at least when young. Leaves opposite, whorled or alternate; submerged leaves much dissected; floating leaves peltate. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, axillary or displaced from leaf axils, solitary, long pedunculate from upper nodes. Sepals 3, rarely 2 or 4, petaloid, free and distinct or nearly so. Petals 3, rarely 2 or 4. Stamens 3 or 6 (Cabomba) or usually 12–36 (Brasenia), free; anthers opening lengthwise; staminodes absent. Carpels 2–18, rarely 1, free, 1-locular; ovary superior; style short; ovules 2 or 3, rarely 1–5, anatropous. Fruits indehiscent, achene-like or follicle-like, 1–3-seeded. Seeds with fleshy endosperm.

A family of 2 genera and 6 species from tropical and warm temperate parts of the world. Two genera and 2 species in Australia, 1 species native and 1 species naturalised.

Aston, H.I. (1973). Cabombaceae, in Aquatic Plants of Australia, pp. 46–48. (Melbourne University Press: Melbourne).

Bentham, G. (1863). Nymphaeaceae p.p., Flora Australiensis 1: 60–61. (Lovell Reeve: London).

Cook, C.D.K., Gut, B.J., Rix, E.M. & Schneller, J. (1974). Cabombaceae, in Water Plants of the World, pp. 168–170. (Dr W. Junk: The Hague).

Cowie, I.D. (2000). Cabombaceae, in Cowie, I.D., Short, P.S. & Ostercamp Madsen, M., Floodplain Flora. A flora of the coastal floodplains of the Northern Territory, Australia, p. 61. (ABRS: Canberra/PWCNT: Darwin).

Entwisle, T.J. (1996). Cabombaceae, in Walsh, N.G. & Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria 3: 32–33. (Inkata Press: Melbourne).

Jacobs, S.W.L. (1983). Cabombaceae, in Morley, B.D. & Toelken, H.R., Flowering Plants in Australia, pp. 49–51. (Rigby: Adelaide).

Jacobs, S.W.L. (1990). Cabombaceae, in Harden, G.J. (ed.), Flora of New South Wales 1: 148–149. (New South Wales University Press: Kensington).

Romanowski, N. (1998). Aquatic and Wetland Plants. A field guide for non-tropical Australia. (University of New South Wales Press: Sydney).

Ross, E.M. (1984). Cabombaceae, in Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M., Flora of South-eastern Queensland 1: 179. (Queensland Department of Primary Industries: Brisbane).

Sainty, G.R. & Jacobs, S.W.L. (1981). Waterplants of New South Wales. (Water Resources Commission New South Wales).

Sainty, G.R. & Jacobs, S.W.L. (2003). Waterplants in Australia: a field guide 4th edn. (Sainty and Associates: Sydney).

Stanley, T.D. & Orchard, A.E. (2007). Cabombaceae, in Wilson, A.J.G. (ed.), Flora of Australia 2: 275–278. (ABRS: Canberra/CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne).

Williamson, P.S. & Schneider, E.L.  (1993). Cabombaceae, in Kubitzki, K., Rohwer, J.G. & Bittrich, V. (eds), Families and Genera of Vascular Plants 2: 157–161. (Springer-Verlag: Berlin).

Revised edition published 11 October 2021. Adapted from Stanley & Orchard (2007). Updated by P.G. Kodela (October 2021).