Photographs: the Gearagh, Co. Cork

Six-stamened Waterwort Elatine hexandra Bosán te Family: Elantinaceae Flowering July-September. Annual or short-lived perennial. Native. The tiny long-stalked, pinkish flowers in leaf axils of exposed plants have 3 sepals and petals, 6 stamens. Leaves are short-stalked, spoon-shaped and fleshy. Procumbent stems 10-20cm, rooting at nodes. Non-flowering submerged forms can persist as short-lived perennials. Can be locally frequent submerged in shallow water or exposed on muddy lake, pond and reservoir edges. Mainly found in the south-west, west and north-west of Ireland

Six-stamened Waterwort, Elatine hexandra, Bosán te