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California waterwort

Ojibway waterwort, élatine du lac Ojibway

Habit Herbs, submersed or growing on exposed but wet substrates, 1–5 cm. Herbs, submersed, 1–2 cm.
Stems

decumbent to erect, branched.

decumbent to erect, highly 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, 1 mm, margins dentate, apex acute;

petiole 1–3 mm;

blade oblong, 1.2–5 × 0.3–2 mm, base cuneate, apex acute to obtuse.

Pedicels

1.5–2.5(–3.5) mm, recurved in fruit.

0.1–23 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.

sepals 4, equal, elliptic, 0.9–1.3 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

petals 4, pale purple, elliptic, 0.8–1 × 0.5 mm;

stamens 8;

styles 2.

Capsules

depressed-ovoid, 4-locular, 1.3–2.5 mm diam.

depressed-ovoid, 4-locular, 1–1.1 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.

3 per locule, oblong to ellipsoid, straight or curved to 15°, 0.7–1 × 0.2–0.3 mm;

pits rectangular, length 1–3 times width, in 12 rows, 27–37 per row.

Elatine californica

Elatine ojibwayensis

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Pools, pond shores, rice fields, stream banks. Riverbanks.
Elevation 0–1900(–2600) m. (0–6200(–8500) ft.) 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
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from FNA
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.)

Morphologically, Elatine ojibwayensis is very similar to E. macropoda Gussone of Europe and North Africa. Morphological and molecular examination of the holotype as well as the other specimens cited in the original description showed that three characters in M. Garneau's description need to be modified. Thus our description for this species differs from Garneau's observations of number of stamens ("4"), pedicel length ("0.5-0.7 mm"), and number of seed pits per row ("30–37"). It is noteworthy that Garneau inadvertently included a specimen of E. americana (J. Deshaye 91–1422, QUE) in her new species description.

Elatine ojibwayensis is known from the Hudson’s Bay area near Rupert Bay and the Grande Rivière de la Baleine. It and E. californica are the only members of the genus with tetramerous flowers in the flora area.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 350. FNA vol. 12, p. 350.
Parent taxa Elatinaceae > Elatine Elatinaceae > Elatine
Sibling taxa
E. ambigua, E. americana, E. brachysperma, E. chilensis, E. heterandra, E. minima, E. ojibwayensis, E. rubella, E. triandra
E. ambigua, E. americana, E. brachysperma, E. californica, E. chilensis, E. heterandra, E. minima, E. rubella, E. triandra
Synonyms E. californica var. williamsii, E. williamsii
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 13: 361, 364. (1878) Garneau: Canad. J. Bot. 84: 1040, fig. 1e,f. (2006)
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