Elatine californica |
Elatine americana |
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California waterwort |
American waterwort, élatine américaine |
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Habit | Herbs, submersed or growing on exposed but wet substrates, 1–5 cm. | Herbs, submersed, 1.5–5 cm. |
Stems | decumbent to erect, branched. |
ascending or prostrate, branched. |
Leaves | light green to green, sometimes becoming reddish in terrestrial plants; stipules lanceolate, 0.5–0.6 mm, margins dentate, apex acute; petiole 1–4 mm; blade obovate to oblanceolate, 4–12(–15) × 1.2–3 mm, base narrowly cuneate, apex acute to obtuse. |
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 | 1.5–2.5(–3.5) mm, recurved in fruit. |
to 0.1 mm, erect. |
Flowers | sepals 4, usually equal, sometimes 1 reduced, oblong-ovate or widely lanceolate, 0.5–0.6 × 0.3–0.4 mm; petals 4, greenish white, slightly reddish, or pink, elliptic or ovate, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm; stamens 8; styles 4. |
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 | depressed-ovoid, 4-locular, 1.3–2.5 mm diam. |
oblong-ovoid, 3-locular, 1.5 mm diam. |
Seeds | 2–5 per locule, oblong to ellipsoid, curved 90–180°, 0.6–1 × 0.2 mm; pits elliptic, length 1–3 times width, in 6–10 rows, (16–)20–29 per row. |
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. |
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Elatine californica |
Elatine americana |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer–early fall. |
Habitat | Pools, pond shores, rice fields, stream banks. | Muddy shorelines including estuaries, in water to 50 cm deep. |
Elevation | 0–1900(–2600) m. (0–6200(–8500) ft.) | 0–300(–900) m. (0–1000(–3000) ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
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CA; CT; DE; IL; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OK; PA; RI; SD; VA; MB; NB; NT; ON; QC
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Discussion | Elatine californica is distinguished from other species of the genus by having long pedicels that are recurved in fruit and strongly curved seeds that can be nearly circular. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 350. | FNA vol. 12, p. 352. |
Parent taxa | Elatinaceae > Elatine | Elatinaceae > Elatine |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. californica var. williamsii, E. williamsii | Peplis americana, E. triandra subsp. americana, E. triandra var. americana |
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 13: 361, 364. (1878) | (Pursh) Arnott: Edinburgh J. Nat. Geogr. Sci. 1: 431. (1830) |
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