XVI International Botanical Congess

Early Miocene aquatic flora of the site Bilina (Central Europe) includes free-floating and rooting aquatic plants of the Salviniales, Nymphaeales, Myrtales, ?Scrophulariales, Hydrocharitales, Arales and ?Liliales. Represented by extinct genera and/or species these 20 millions year old fossil populations show trends in adaptation to buoyancy in leafy shoots (Salvinia) or seeds (Decodon), reduction in leaf size (Limnobiohyllum vs. Lemna, Stratiotiphyllum vs. Stratiotes), in heterophylly (Elephantosotis) and zoochory (Trapa). Most, but not all, can be safely assigned to existing families.