Potamogeton hillii |
Potamogeton alpinus |
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Hill's pondweed |
alpine pondweed, northern pondweed, potamot alpin, reddish pondweed |
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Cauline stems | slightly compressed, without spots, 30–60 cm; glands rare, when present, brown to green, 0.1–0.3 mm diam. |
terete, without spots, to 200 cm; nodal glands absent. |
Turions | terminal, rare, 2.8–3 cm × 1.5–3 mm, soft; leaves ± 2-ranked; outer leaves 3–4 per side, base not corrugate, apex acute to apiculate; inner leaves undifferentiated. |
absent. |
Leaves | submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, delicate; stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, white to light brown, not ligulate, 0.7–1.6 cm, slightly fibrous, rarely shredding at tip, apex obtuse; blade pale green to olive-green, linear, not arcuate, 2–6 cm × 0.6–2.5(–4) mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, apiculate to bristle-tipped or rarely blunt, lacunae in 1–2 rows each side of midrib; veins 3. |
submersed and floating or floating absent, ± spirally arranged. |
Floating leaves | petioles continuous in color to apex, 0.1–1.2 cm; blade reddish green, elliptic or oblanceolate to obovate or oblong-linear, 4–7(–10) cm × 10–25(–40) mm, base gradually tapering into petiole, apex obtuse or acute; veins (7–)9–13(–15). |
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Submersed leaves | sessile, lax; stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, light brown to reddish, not ligulate, (1.2–)1.5–2.5(–4) cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex blunt; blade reddish green, oblong-linear to linear-lanceolate, not arcuate, 4.5–18(–25) cm × 5–20 mm, base rounded, without basal lobes, slightly clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, obtuse or acute, lacunae in 0–6 rows each side of midvein; veins 7–9. |
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Inflorescences | unbranched, emersed; peduncles not dimorphic, axillary and/or terminal, erect to ascending, rarely recurved, slightly clavate, 6–13.5 mm; spikes not dimorphic, globose, (2–) 4–7 mm. |
unbranched, emersed; peduncles not dimorphic, terminal or axillary, erect, cylindric, 3–10(–16) cm; spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 10–35 mm. |
Fruits | brown to light greenish brown, ovoid to orbicular, turgid, sessile, abaxially and laterally keeled (3-keeled), 2.3–4 × 2–3.2 mm, lateral keels without points; beak erect, 0.3–0.7 mm; sides without basal tubercles; embryo with 1 full spiral. |
pedicellate, tawny olive-green, obovoid, plump, turgid, abaxially keeled, laterally keeled or not, (2.5–)3–3.5 × (1.7–)2–2.4 mm, lateral keels when present without points; beak abaxially curved, 0.5–0.9 mm; sides without basal tubercles; embryo with 1 full spiral. |
Chromosome number | unknownnot available. |
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Rhizome(s) | absent. |
present. |
2n | = 52. |
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Potamogeton hillii |
Potamogeton alpinus |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting summer. | Flowering early summer–fall. |
Habitat | Alkaline waters of marshes, ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams | Ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams |
Elevation | 50–400 m (200–1300 ft) | 400–2500 m (1300–8200 ft) |
Distribution |
CT; MA; MI; NY; OH; PA; VA; VT; WI; ON
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AK; CA; CO; ID; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OR; PA; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Europe; Asia Eurasia
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Discussion | Potamogeton hillii is an easily recognized species either in fruit or when sterile. The leaf blade has a bristle tip and five or fewer veins. Those characters combined with the usual absence of nodal glands will separate this species from all other North American linear-leaved species. Ecologically, it is consistently found in more alkaline waters than any other North American pondweed. A study of 35 localities established the mean to be 124.1 mg/l CaCO3 (C. B. Hellquist 1984). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Plants of Potamogeton alpinus often are red whenever taken from the water, a feature that makes this species quite distinctive. Two varieties, Potamogeton alpinus var. tenuifolius and var. subellipticus, have been recognized in North America, based mainly on submersed leaf shape. Plants bearing both leaf types have been observed in the same population; hence the varieties are not recognized. Four hybrids, Potamogeton alpinus × P. nodosus (= P. ×subobtusus Hagström), P. alpinus × P. gramineus (= P. xnericius Hagström), P. alpinus × P. praelongus (= P. ×griffithii A. Bennett), and P. alpinus × P. perfoliatus (= P. ×prussicus Hagström), have been described. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. porteri | P. alpinus subsp. tenuifolius, P. alpinus var. subellipticus, P. alpinus var. tenuifolius, P. tenuifolius, P. tenuifolius var. subellipticus |
Name authority | Morong: Botanical Gazette 6: 290, fig. 3. (1881) | Balbis: Misc. Bot. 13. (1804) |
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