The Evolution of Achene Morphology in Ceratophyllum (Ceratophyllaceae), II. Fruit Variation and Systematics of the "Spiny-Margined" Group

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Abstract
Correlations of clustering relationships, phytogeography, and other data justify the continued taxonomic recognition of Ceratophyllum echinatum, C. submersum, and C. tanaiticum as distinct species. Variational patterns indicate a high degree of morphological similarity among C. australe, C. muricatum, and C. kossinskyi although each is separable by specific fruit characters and their geographical distributions are allopatric. They are treated here as vicarious subspecies of C. muricatum. Data from variational analyses indicate a close relationship between C. echinatum and C. submersum. Patterns of morphological variability indicate that spiny-margined species undergo frequent sexual reproduction.