English: Watermillfoil family.
Genera: 8: Glischrocaryon, Gonocarpus, Haloragis, Haloragodendron, Laurembergia, Meionectes, Myriophyllum, Proserpinaca, Trihaloragis, Vinkia.
Region: Australia.
Botany: many aquatics; flowers usually small and inconspicuous, radial, petals usually keeled or hooded when present.
TaxonomyIn the
Apg3 classification the
Haloragaceae are part of the
Saxifragales. In the past it had been placed in its own Order.
Plant theoryI n the first version of the
Plant theory Haloragaceae was placed in its own Order and Subclass. The presumption was
Haloragaceae is the
Hydrogen series quality of the
Malvidae. This was done because some are aquatics.
In
Plant theory 2 the aquatic Myriophyllum is split of from
Haloragaceae and placed in its own family
Myriophyllaceae. The reason for doing so is that Myriophyllum is a real aquatic. That fits with the
Hydrogen series in a similar way as Ceratophyllum.
The rest of the family is very different, being normal herbs and shrubs.
Haloragaceae is tentaviely placed in Subphase 1of the
Saxifragales. Included are the small families
Aphanopetalaceae,
Penthoraceae and
Tetracarpaeaceae