The Potamogetonaceae, commonly referred to as the pondweed family, are an aquatic family of monocotyledonous flowering plants. The roughly 110 known species are divided over six genera (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). The largest genus in the family by far is Potamogeton, which contains about 100 species. The family has a subcosmopolitan distribution, and is considered to be one of the most important angiosperm groups in the aquatic environment because of its use as food and habitat for aquatic animals.