Elatinaceae is a family of
flowering plants with 35-50 species in 2 genera:
Elatine and
Bergia. The
Elatine are mostly aquatic
herbs, and the
Bergia are sub
shrubs to
shrubs.
Elatine species are widely distributed throughout the world from
temperate to
tropical zones, with its greatest diversity found in temperate zones.
Bergia is found in temperate to tropical
Eurasia and
Africa, with two tropical and one tropical to temperate species in the
Americas. The center for biodiversity of
Bergia is the
Old World tropics, and this is also the center for biodiversity for the family. Neither genus is found in arctic ecosystems.