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closed-leaf pondweed, leafy pondweed

Rhizomes

absent.

Cauline stems

slightly compressed, without spots, 4–75 cm;

glands rarely present, black to gold, to 0.5 mm diam.

Turions

uncommon, lateral or terminal, 0.9–2.5 cm × 0.6–2 mm, soft;

outer leaves 1–3 per side, base not corrugate, apex acute to apiculate;

inner leaves rolled into hardened fusiform structure.

Leaves

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, delicate;

stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, greenish to brown or rarely white, not ligulate, 0.2–2.2 cm, delicate to fibrous, rarely shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade pale green to olive-green, rarely somewhat reddish, linear, not arcuate, 1.3–8.2 cm × 0.3–2.3 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, acute to apiculate, rarely with bristle, lacunae rarely present, 0–2 rows each side of midrib;

veins 1–3(–5).

Inflorescences

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, in axils of proximal, rarely distal leaves, recurved, clavate, 0.3–1.1(–3.7) cm;

spikes not dimorphic, capitate to cylindric, 1.5–7 mm.

Fruits

pale green to olive-green or brown, obovate to nearly orbicular, turgid to concave, sessile, abaxially keeled, not laterally keeled, 1.4–2.7 × 1.1–2.2 mm, abaxial keel undulate, winglike;

beak erect, 0.2–0.6 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

Potamogeton foliosus

Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Central America
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Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Spike rarely interrupted; fruits olive to green-brown, 1.5–2.7 × 1.2–2.2 mm; keel 0.2 mm or more high; beak 0.2–0.6 mm; stipular veins decaying with age.
subsp. foliosus
1. Spike interrupted; fruits pale green, 1.4–1.7 × 1.1–1.2 mm; keel less than 0.2 mm high; beak 0.2 or less; stipular veins with age remaining as fibers
subsp. fibrillosus
Source FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Potamogetonaceae > Potamogeton
Sibling taxa
P. alpinus, P. amplifolius, P. bicupulatus, P. clystocarpus, P. confervoides, P. crispus, P. diversifolius, P. epihydrus, P. floridanus, 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
Subordinate taxa
P. foliosus subsp. fibrillosus, P. foliosus subsp. foliosus
Name authority Rafinesque: Medical Repository hexade 2, 5:354. (1808)
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