Potamogeton hillii |
Potamogeton confervoides |
|
---|---|---|
Hill's pondweed |
alga pondweed, alga-like pondweed, potamot confervoide, Tuckerman's pondweed |
|
Rhizomes | absent. |
obvious. |
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, 10–80 cm. |
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. |
present, in axils of old leaves and from disintegrating branches, fusiform, 0.7–2 cm, leaves spreading to ascending. |
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, ± spirally arranged, flaccid, sessile; stipules deliquescent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, pale green, not ligulate, 0.5–1.2 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse; blade pale green, linear, not arcuate, 1.8–6.5 cm × 0.1–0.5 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, extremely attenuate, bristly, lacunae present, each side of midvein to margins; veins 1. |
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, ascending, somewhat clavate, (3–)5–25 cm; spikes not dimorphic, capitate, 5–12 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. |
sessile, light green, round-obovoid or nearly orbicular, compressed, abaxially and laterally keeled, 2–3 × 1.7–2.8 mm, lateral keels without sharp point; beak erect, 0.5 mm; sides without basal tubercles; embryo with less than 1 full spiral. |
Chromosome number | unknownnot available. |
apparently unknown not available. |
Potamogeton hillii |
Potamogeton confervoides |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting summer. | Flowering early–late summer. |
Habitat | Alkaline waters of marshes, ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams | Acidic waters of bogs, ponds, and lakes, often at higher elevation in e portion of range |
Elevation | 50–400 m (200–1300 ft) | 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) |
Distribution |
CT; MA; MI; NY; OH; PA; VA; VT; WI; ON
|
CT; MA; ME; MI; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; VT; WI; NB; NL; NS; ON; QC; SPM; St Pierre
|
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.) |
Potamogeton confervoides is most uncommon and found only in fairly acidic waters. It is easily recognized by its linear, bristly leaves and the unusually long peduncle that seems out of place on a plant with such fine leaves. The leaves are so fine that they almost appear as greenish colored hair in the water. When the plant is removed from the water, the leaves are extremely flaccid leaves and essentially collapse onto each other. (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. tuckermanii |
Name authority | Morong: Botanical Gazette 6: 290, fig. 3. (1881) | Reichenbach: in H. G. L. Reichenbach et al., Icones florae germanicae et helveticae 7: 13. (1845) |
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