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

little aguja pondweed

eel-grass pondweed, flat-stem pondweed, potamot zostériforme

Rhizomes

absent.

absent.

Cauline stems

terete to slightly compressed, without spots, to 57 cm;

glands white to gold, 0.2–0.3 mm diam.

conspicuously flattened ("wing-flattened"), without spots, 60–120 cm;

glands absent or rarely present, when present, gold, 0.3 mm diam.

Turions

unknown.

common, terminal or lateral, 4–7.5 × 2–4.5 cm, firm;

leaves ± 2-ranked;

outer leaves 3–4 per side, base not corrugate, apex acute;

inner leaves undifferentiated.

Leaves

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, delicate;

stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, brown, not ligulate, to 0.62 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade green, linear, not arcuate, 3.2–7.8 cm × 0.7–1.7 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, acute, lacunae rarely absent, in 0–4 rows each side of midrib;

veins 3(–5).

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, rigid;

stipules persistent, conspicuous, convolute, free from blade, white, not ligulate, 1.5–3.5 cm, fibrous, shredding at tip, apex obtuse to acuminate;

blade light green, linear, not arcuate, 10–20 cm × 2–5 mm, base rounded, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, blunt, acuminate, or bristle-tipped, lacunae absent;

veins 15–35.

Inflorescences

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, axillary or terminal, erect, cylindric, 3.2–4.8 cm;

spike not dimorphic, capitate to cylindric, 5.5–7.5 mm.

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal, erect to ascending, occasionally recurved, cylindric, 2–5 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 15–30 mm.

Fruits

sessile, brown to yellow-green, obovoid, compressed, abaxially and laterally keeled, 2–2.2 × 1.7–1.8 mm, lateral keels without points;

beak erect, 0.5–0.6 mm;

sides with 1–3 tubercules near base;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

light green to olive-green, quadrate-oblong or nearly orbicular, turgid, sessile, with abaxially keeled, not laterally keeled, 4–5 × 3–3.5 mm, keel winglike;

beak erect, 0.6–1 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

2n

= 52.

Potamogeton clystocarpus

Potamogeton zosteriformis

Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–summer. Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Small streams Lakes, ponds, and slow streams
Elevation ca. 1800 m (ca. 5900 ft) 0–15003000 m (0–49222400 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Potamogeton clystocarpus is an extremely limited species known from only one canyon in west Texas.

Of conservation concern.

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

One hybrid, Potamogeton zosteriformis × P. strictifolius, has been described and has been given the name P. ×haynesii Hellquist & G. E. Crow and is known from northern Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, and southern Canada.

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

Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Potamogetonaceae > Potamogeton Potamogetonaceae > Potamogeton
Sibling taxa
P. alpinus, P. amplifolius, P. bicupulatus, P. confervoides, P. crispus, P. diversifolius, P. epihydrus, P. floridanus, P. foliosus, P. friesii, P. gramineus, P. groenlandicus, P. hillii, P. illinoensis, P. natans, P. nodosus, P. oakesianus, P. oblongus, P. obtusifolius, P. ogdenii, P. perfoliatus, P. praelongus, P. pulcher, P. pusillus, P. richardsonii, P. robbinsii, P. spirillus, P. strictifolius, P. subsibiricus, P. tennesseensis, P. vaseyi, P. zosteriformis
P. alpinus, P. amplifolius, P. bicupulatus, P. clystocarpus, P. confervoides, P. crispus, P. diversifolius, P. epihydrus, P. floridanus, P. foliosus, P. friesii, P. gramineus, P. groenlandicus, P. hillii, P. illinoensis, P. natans, P. nodosus, P. oakesianus, P. oblongus, P. obtusifolius, P. ogdenii, P. perfoliatus, P. praelongus, P. pulcher, P. pusillus, P. richardsonii, P. robbinsii, P. spirillus, P. strictifolius, P. subsibiricus, P. tennesseensis, P. vaseyi
Synonyms P. zosterifolius subsp. zosteriformis, P. zosterifolius var. americanus
Name authority Fernald: Memoirs of the american academy of arts and science n.s. 17:79, plates 15, 30, fig. 5. (1932) Fernald: Memoirs of the american academy of arts and science n.s. 17:36. (1932)
Web links