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broad-leaf pondweed, floating pondweed, floating-leaf pondweed, potamot flottat

Oakes' pondweed, potamot d'Oakes

Rhizomes

present.

present.

Cauline stems

terete, often rust-spotted, 30–90 cm;

nodal glands absent.

terete, with red spots, 7–75 cm;

nodal glands absent.

Turions

absent.

absent.

Leaves

both submersed and floating, ± spirally arranged.

both submersed and floating, ± spirally arranged.

Floating leaves

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.

petioles continuous in color to apex, 3.2–7.5 cm;

blade adaxially light to dark green, lanceolate to elliptic or ovate, (1.5–)2–4(–5.5) cm × 10–20(–30) mm, base rounded or tapering, apex acute;

veins (7–)9–19(–23).

Submersed leaves

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, conspicuous, convolute, free from blade, whitish, not ligulate, 1–3 cm, delicately fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade pale green, linear to phyllodial, not arcuate, 5–16 cm × (0.25–)0.3–1 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex acute, not hoodlike, lacunae absent, setaceous;

veins 3.

Inflorescences

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, terminal, ascending to spreading, cylindric, 2.5–8 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 10–35 mm.

Fruits

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, obovoid, turgid, abaxially keeled, laterally keeled, 2.5–3.5(–3.7) × (1.6–)2–2.4 mm, lateral keels without points;

beak erect, 0.4–0.8 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

Chromosome number

apparently unknown.

2n

= 52.

Potamogeton natans

Potamogeton oakesianus

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Quiet or slow-flowing waters of ponds, lakes, and streams Quiet acidic waters of bogs, ponds, and lakes
Elevation 0–3100 m (0–10200 ft) 50–1500 m (200–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VA; VT; WI; WV; BC; NB; NL; NS; ON; QC; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
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Discussion

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.)

Potamogeton oakesianus, along with Potamogeton floridanus and P. natans, has floating leaves and phyllodial submersed leaves. The petioles of this species and of P. floridanus lack a short area of light-colored tissue immediately proximal to the blade.

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

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. foliosus, P. friesii, P. gramineus, P. groenlandicus, P. hillii, P. illinoensis, 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. 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
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 126. (1753) J. W. Robbins: in A. Gray, Manual of Botany of the Northern United States (ed. 5) 485. (1867)
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