Ottelia muricata (C. H. Wright) Dandy

muricata: muricate (rough, with sharp tubercles or protuberances)

Aquatic herb. All green parts with prickles. Leaves submerged, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 25-60(-100) cm long, bright green to brownish-green, margin with coarse prickles; petiole not clearly differentiated from blade. Inflorescences unisexual on different plants, appearing above the surface of the water, peduncles up to 125 cm long, bearing coarse prickles. Male spathes up to 12-flowered, subcylindric to ellipsoid-oblong, 25-51 mm long, 2.5-4 times longer than wide, with 7-10 longitudinal ridges, bearing prickles; sepals lanceolate, 10-15 mm long; petals broadly obovate, white with a yellow base and sometimes pinkish veins. Female inflorescences 1-flowered; spathes narrowly cylindric, not inflated, 40-70 mm long, mostly 10-15 times longer than wide, with 6-9 prickly ridges; sepals linear, 13-22 mm long, with purple streaks; petals obovate, white.

Angola, Botswana, DRC (Luapula River), Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Ottelia muricata is a species of aquatic plant native to central and southern Africa.