Potamogeton natans
Potamogeton epihydrus
broad-leaf pondweed, floating pondweed, floating-leaf pondweed, potamot flottat
Nuttall's ribbon-leaf pondweed, potamot emerge, ribbon-leaf pondweed
present.
present.
terete, often rust-spotted, 30–90 cm;
nodal glands absent.
flattened, without spots, 10–90 cm;
glands absent.
absent.
absent.
both submersed and floating, ± spirally arranged.
both submersed and floating or floating absent, ± spirally arranged.
petioles lighter green immediately proximal to apex, 5.5–29 cm;
blade adaxially light green, elliptic to ovate, 3.5–11 cm × 15–60 mm, base cordate, apex acute to rounded;
veins 17–37.
petiolate;
petioles continuous in color to apex, 2–12.5 cm;
blade adaxially light green, narrowly oblong-oblanceolate to elliptic, 2–8 cm × 4–20 mm, base acute, apex rounded or bluntly cuspidate;
veins 11–41.
sessile, rigid;
stipules persistent, conspicuous, convolute, free from blade, whitish, not ligulate, 4.5–1 cm, fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;
blade light to dark green, phyllodial, not arcuate, 9–20 cm × 0.7–2.5 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, obtuse, lacunae absent;
veins 3–5, obscure.
sessile, lax;
stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, red-brown, not ligulate, 1–3 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;
blade red-brown to light green, linear, not arcuate, 5–22 cm × 1–10 mm, base not clasping, without basal lobes, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, blunt to acute, lacunae present, broad band each side of midvein;
veins 3–13.
unbranched, emersed;
peduncles not dimorphic, terminal, erect to ascending, cylindric, 4.5–9.5 cm;
spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 25–50 mm.
unbranched, emersed;
peduncles not dimorphic, axillary, erect, cylindric, 1.5–5(–16) cm;
spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 0.8–4 cm.
sessile, green to greenish brown, obovoid, turgid, not abaxially or laterally keeled, 3.5–5 × 2–3 mm;
beak erect to apically recurved, 0.4–0.8 mm;
sides without basal tubercles;
embryo with 1 full spiral.
sessile, greenish brown, round-obovoid, flattened, abaxially and laterally keeled, 2.5–4.5 × 2–3.6 mm, lateral keels without sharp points;
beak erect, 0.5 mm;
sides without basal tubercles;
embryo with less than 1 full spiral.
= 52.
= 26.
Potamogeton natans
Potamogeton epihydrus
Potamogeton natans is the common floating-leaved pondweed of the north temperate ure areas. It is essentially circumboreal and can easily be identified by floating leaves that are almost always cordate at the base of the blade, the petiole with a short band of light tissue at its apex, and the submersed phyllodial leaves. Also, the apex of the petiole usually is bent so that the blade appears oriented in the opposite direction from which the petiole appears to be oriented.
One hybrid, Potamogeton natans × P. nodosus (= P. × schreberi Fischer [P. × perplexus A. Bennett]), has been described.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
No specimens have been seen from Maryland, but the species is to be expected there.
Two varieties, Potamogeton epihydrus var. epihydrus and var. ramosus, have been recognized. These prove not to be distinct. Both varieties often grow in the same body of water in the same population. The wider-leaved plants often occur in more alkaline waters. Two hybrids, P. epihydrus var. nuttallii × P. gramineus and P. epihydrus × P. nodosus (= P. ×subsessilis Hagström), have been described.
Potamogeton epihydrus is a common species of lakes and streams of northern United States and southern Canada. It extends southward in the eastern United States to Louisiana and Alabama. Potamogeton epihydrus is one of our more easily recognized species: it has floating leaves, linear submersed leaves, and fruits with an embryo with one full spiral or less. The only other North American pondweed with a similar set of characteristics is P. tennesseensis, which differs from P. epihydrus by the former having long tapering apices in the submersed leaves whereas the latter has blunt to acute apices.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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