List of wetland plants

This is a list of plants that grow in wetland environments, including aquatic plants and plants that live in the ecotones between terrestrial and aquatic environments.

Major cosmopolitan groups

These are groups with members found in wetland environments throughout the world.

Ceratophyllum demersum is a cosmopolitan species of aquatic plant.
Drosera, the sundews, are carnivorous plants with species found on every continent except Antarctica.
Duckweeds are tiny flowering plants that float on the surface of water, with members of the group found worldwide.
Isoetes is a cosmopolitan genus of lycophyte known as the quillworts.
Juncus is a genus of monocot commonly known as rushes, found in every continent except Antarctica.
*Juncus effusus
Mangroves are trees or shrubs that grow in salt or brackish water along coastlines. The group consists of numerous unrelated plants that have convergently evolved. Sometimes, the widely distributed genus Rhizophora is referred to as the true mangroves.
Pistia, a genus with one species that is native to tropical environments and has further extended its range as an introduced species.
Phragmites is a genus of plants known as reeds.
Pondweeds are a family of aquatic plant with a subcosmopolitan distribution.
Sagittaria is a genus of plants known as arrowhead or katniss.
Salix, the willows, are native to many areas throughout the world, usually in riparian ecosystems.
Salvinia natans, the floating fern, is native in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and introduced elsewhere.
Sedges are a large family of grass-like plants with many species that form a characteristic part of wetland vegetation.
*Bolboschoenus, club rushes.
*Carex, the true sedges, contains over 2,000 species, primarily found in wetland environments.
*Eleocharis, the spikerushes.
*Scirpus, bulrushes.
Sphagnum is a genus of moss that is found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as in some areas of South America, New Zealand and Tasmania. Sphagnum moss is notable because it forms peat.
Sporobolus, cordgrasses.
Typha, known as cattails or bulrushes, are found throughout the world and a characteristic plant of wetland environments.
Utricularia, known as the bladderworts, are carnivorous plants with species found worldwide.
Water lilies are aquatic flowering plants with leaves that float on the surface of bodies of water.

By distribution

South America

Alternanthera philoxeroides
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides, floating marshpennywort
Hydrocotyle verticillata
Limnobium laevigatum
Limnocharis flava
Luziola peruviana
Myriophyllum aquaticum, parrot's feather, is now introduced worldwide but originates in the Amazon River.
Nymphoides humboldtiana
Pontederia crassipes, the common water hyacinth, has been introduced worldwide but is native to South America
Pontederia subovata
Sarcocornia ambigua
Syagrus romanzoffiana, queen palm
Victoria cruziana, Santa Cruz waterlily

Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania

Aegiceras corniculatum, black mangrove
Avicennia marina, gray mangrove
Azolla filiculoides red mosquitofern, found in Tasmania
Bruguiera gymnorhiza, the large-leafed orange mangrove
Casuarina glauca, the swamp she-oak, found in inland Australia
Cordyline australis, endemic to New Zealand
Dicksonia squarrosa, the New Zealand tree fern, endemic to New Zealand
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, kahikatea, endemic to New Zealand
Duma florulenta, tangled lignum
Eleocharis sphacelata, giant spikesedge
Eucalyptus robusta
Marsilea drummondii, a widespread aquatic fern in inland Australia known as nardoo
Melaleuca ericifolia
Nymphoides crenata, the wavy marshwort, endemic to Australia
Ottelia ovalifolia
Persicaria hydropiper
Rhizophora mucronata
Rhizophora stylosa
Samolus repens, the sea primrose
Typha orientalis, a species of cattail
Villarsia, a genus of aquatic flowering plants

List of wetland plants

Major cosmopolitan groups

By distribution

Asia

Africa

Europe

North America

South America

Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania