Which pondweed families belong to the order Alismatales?

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The order Alismatales includes several families commonly associated with aquatic plants, including those referred to as pondweeds. While the term "pondweed" is most directly linked to the family Potamogetonaceae, which contains the genus Potamogeton (pondweed) and Zannichellia (horned pondweed), the order Alismatales comprises 14 families in total.12

The families within the order Alismatales are:

  • Alismataceae
  • Aponogetonaceae
  • Araceae
  • Butomaceae
  • Cymodoceaceae
  • Hydrocharitaceae
  • Juncaginaceae
  • Limnocharitaceae
  • Posidoniaceae
  • Potamogetonaceae
  • Ruppiaceae
  • Scheuchzeriaceae
  • Tofieldiaceae
  • Zosteraceae1

It is important to note that while many of these families are aquatic, they are not all classified as "pondweeds." For example, the family Alismataceae includes plants like the arrowhead and water plantain, while the Araceae family is a diverse group that includes many non-aquatic species.13