The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

American waterwort, élatine américaine

Habit Herbs, submersed, 1.5–5 cm.
Stems

ascending or prostrate, branched.

Leaves

green;

stipules lanceolate, 0.5–0.6 mm, margins dentate, apex acute;

petiole 0.5–3 mm;

blade obovate to broadly spatulate, 3–8 × 0.5–3.5 mm, base attenuate or cuneate, apex rounded to shallowly emarginate.

Pedicels

to 0.1 mm, erect.

Flowers

cleistogamous when submersed;

sepals (2–)3, equal or 1 reduced, oblong-ovate or widely lanceolate, 0.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm;

petals 3, greenish white or pinkish white to reddish, elliptic or ovate, 0.6–1.2 × 0.5 mm;

stamens 3;

styles 3.

Capsules

oblong-ovoid, 3-locular, 1.5 mm diam.

Seeds

9–12 per locule, slenderly cylindric, ± straight, 0.4–0.6 × (0.1–)0.2 mm;

pits angular-hexagonal, length 2–3 times width, in 6(–8) rows, (13–)16–25(–30) per row.

2n

= 36.

Elatine americana

Phenology Flowering summer–early fall.
Habitat Muddy shorelines including estuaries, in water to 50 cm deep.
Elevation 0–300(–900) m. (0–1000(–3000) ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CT; DE; IL; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OK; PA; RI; SD; VA; MB; NB; NT; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 352.
Parent taxa Elatinaceae > Elatine
Sibling taxa
E. ambigua, E. brachysperma, E. californica, E. chilensis, E. heterandra, E. minima, E. ojibwayensis, E. rubella, E. triandra
Synonyms Peplis americana, E. triandra subsp. americana, E. triandra var. americana
Name authority (Pursh) Arnott: Edinburgh J. Nat. Geogr. Sci. 1: 431. (1830)
Web links