Elatine californica |
Elatine minima |
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California waterwort |
small waterwort, élatine naine |
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Habit | Herbs, submersed or growing on exposed but wet substrates, 1–5 cm. | Herbs, submersed or emersed on wet substrates, 0.2–3(–10) cm. |
Stems | decumbent to erect, branched. |
erect or ascending, usually unbranched, sometimes 1–2 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, 0.2 mm, margins entire, apex rounded; petiole 0–1 mm; blade elliptic to oblanceolate or spatulate, 0.3–5(–11) × 0.7–1.8(–4) mm, base rounded to truncate, apex obtuse-acute. |
Pedicels | 1.5–2.5(–3.5) mm, recurved in fruit. |
0–0.2 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, equal, ovate to oblong, 0.5 × 0.3 mm; petals 2, reddish, long-elliptic, elliptic, or ovate, 1–1.5 × 0.5 mm; stamens 2; styles 2. |
Capsules | depressed-ovoid, 4-locular, 1.3–2.5 mm diam. |
oblong-ovoid, 2-locular, 0.9–1.5 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. |
4–9 per locule, thickly cylindric to barrel-shaped, straight, 0.4–0.5(–0.7) × 0.2(–0.3) mm; pits elliptic, length 1.2–1.6 times width, in 8–9 rows, (11–)15–20 per row. |
Elatine californica |
Elatine minima |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Pools, pond shores, rice fields, stream banks. | Shores (sometimes intertidal) or in water to 2 m deep, sandy substrates mixed with organic debris, abandoned sunfish nests. |
Elevation | 0–1900(–2600) m. (0–6200(–8500) ft.) | 0–400 m. (0–1300 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
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CT; DE; IL; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; SPM
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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. 353. |
Parent taxa | Elatinaceae > Elatine | Elatinaceae > Elatine |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. californica var. williamsii, E. williamsii | Crypta minima |
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 13: 361, 364. (1878) | (Nuttall) Fischer & C. A. Meyer: Linnaea 10: 73. (1835) |
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