JOURNAL of the ADELAIDE BOTANIC GARDENS AN OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL FOR AUSTRALIAN SYSTEMATIC BOTANY flora.sa.gov.au/jabg Published by the STATE HERBARIUM OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA on behalf of the BOARD OF THE BOTANIC GARDENS AND STATE HERBARIUM © Board of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, Adelaide, South Australia © Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Government of South Australia All rights reserved State Herbarium of South Australia PO Box 2732 Kent Town SA 5071 Australia © 2012 Board of the Botanic Gardens & State Herbarium, Government of South Australia J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 25 (2012) 11–15 © 2012 Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Govt of South Australia The genus Alisma L. (Alismataceae) in South Australia John G. Conran Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, Benham Building DX 650 312, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005 E-mail:
[email protected] State Herbarium of South Australia, DENR Science Resource Centre, P.O. Box 2732, Kent Town, South Australia 5071 Abstract The genus Alisma L. (Alismataceae) is revised for South Australia, with several populations previously incorrectly identified as the introduced weed A. lanceolatum With. (narrow leaved water plantain) found instead to be the native A. plantago-aquatica L. (common water plantain). The distinguishing features for these taxa and related Alismataceae in South Australia are given and the implications for their conservation and/or weed status are discussed. Keywords: South Australia, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Alisma lanceolatum, Alismataceae, taxonomy. Introduction Alisma has been the subject of some taxonomic controversy in South Australia and it is unclear if it is The monocot family Alismataceae consists of native or an early introduction.