Potamogetonaceae

The pondweed family in Belgium:
In this project we will document the Potamogetonaceae, which are aquatic herbaceous plants. Some live completely underwater, while others have floating leaves and long stalks that connect them to the roots at the bottom of the pond or river. Most flowering plants are pollinated either by insects or by the wind, but some of the Potamogetonaceae, quite unusually, release their pollen into the water, which then carries it between male and female flowers. Belgium has a number of Potamogetonaceae species, but they are threatened by water pollution, eutrophication, and drainage of their habitats.

The Belgian Herbarium:
The Botanic Garden Meise holds the largest herbarium collection of Belgian plant specimens. Each of these herbarium specimens has a label with valuable information such as the plant’s identification, and when, where, and who collected the plant. These specimens can be used in many domains of research, such as conservation, evolution, ecology and systematics. These data help us to better understand the plants of Belgium, their history and that of people who collected them. There are about 200,000 specimens in the Belgian Herbarium of the Botanic Garden Meise and we want to document them all! These data will then be made available online at www.botanicalcollections.be.

Keywords (Latin):
Belgium, Potamogetonaceae, Monocotyledones, Hortus Botanicus Meise, Botanica.