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closed-leaf pondweed, leafy pondweed

potamot de Vasey, Vasey's pondweed

Rhizomes

absent.

absent.

Cauline stems

slightly compressed, without spots, 4–75 cm;

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

terete, without spots, 2–5 cm;

glands absent.

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.

common, axillary, 0.5–2 cm × 0.5–1.2 mm, soft;

leaves ± 2-ranked;

outer leaves 2–3 per side, base not corrugate, apex acute;

inner leaves undifferentiated or rolled into tight, hardened 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).

submersed, or both submersed and floating, ± spirally arranged.

Floating leaves

petioles continuous in color to apex, 5–25 mm;

blade adaxially greenish brown, elliptic, spatulate, or obovate, 0.6–1.5 cm × 3–8 mm, base acute, apex obtuse;

veins 5–9.

Submersed leaves

sessile, delicate;

stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, green to brown, not ligulate, 0.4–1.2 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex attenuate;

blade light green, linear-filiform, not arcuate, 2–8 cm × 0.1–1 mm, bases slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, acute to almost bristle-tipped, lacunae present, rarely absent, 0–2 rows each side of midvein;

veins 1(–3).

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.

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal, ascending in flower, recurved in fruit, cylindric, 5–30 mm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric or moniliform, 6–8 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.

sessile, green to brown, obliquely round-obovoid, compressed, abaxially keeled, not laterally keeled, 1.5–2.5 × 1.2–1.6 mm;

beak erect, 0.3–0.5 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

2n

= 28.

Potamogeton foliosus

Potamogeton vaseyi

Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Quiet waters of lakes, ponds, and rivers
Elevation 50–500 m (200–1600 ft)
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; IA; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; VT; WI; NB; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

All of the original material of Potamogeton lateralis Morong, including the collection designated as the lectotype, has been studied (C. B. Hellquist et al. 1988). Every specimen, was a mixed collection of P. pusillus and P. vaseyi. Based on the results of the study, P. lateralis is taxonomically nomenclaturally invalid and should be rejected.

Potamogeton vaseyi is an uncommon species that has submersed leaves very similar to P. pusillus subsp. gemmiparus. Floating leaves apparently are present only when the species is fertile, and the species often grows intermixed with that subspecies. Collections are consequently often a mixture of the two taxa. Also, sterile collections of either taxon can easily be mistaken for the other.

(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. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Potamogetonaceae > Potamogeton 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
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. zosteriformis
Subordinate taxa
P. foliosus subsp. fibrillosus, P. foliosus subsp. foliosus
Name authority Rafinesque: Medical Repository hexade 2, 5:354. (1808) J. W. Robbins: in A. Gray, Manual of Botany of the Northern United States (ed. 5) 485. (1867)
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