The Collaborative International Dictionary
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Hippuris
Hippuris, the Mare's tail, was previously the sole genus in the family Hippuridaceae. Following genetic research by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, it has now been transferred to the family Plantaginaceae, with Hippuridaceae being reduced to a synonym of Plantaginaceae.
It includes one to three species depending on taxonomic interpretation. Some authorities only accept the first species of those listed below, treating the other two as synonyms of it:
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Common mare's tail, Hippuris vulgaris
- Mountain mare's tail, Hippuris montana
- Fourleaf mare's tail, ' 'Hippuris tetraphylla''
They are aquatic plants found in shallow ponds and streams, both slow-moving and fast-flowing. This flowering plant is sometimes mistakenly identified as the non-flowering horsetail.