Potamogeton natans |
Potamogeton obtusifolius |
|
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broad-leaf pondweed, floating pondweed, floating-leaf pondweed, potamot flottat |
blunt-leaf pondweed, potamot à feuilles obtuses |
|
Rhizomes | present. |
absent. |
Cauline stems | terete, often rust-spotted, 30–90 cm; nodal glands absent. |
slightly compressed, without spots, 35–90 cm; glands yellow-green to gold, 0.2–1 mm diam. |
Turions | absent. |
terminal, abundant, 3.5–7.8 cm × 2.3–5.1 mm, soft; leaves ± 2-ranked; outer leaves 3–4 per side, base not corrugate, apex apiculate to obtuse; inner leaves undifferentiated. |
Leaves | both submersed and floating, ± spirally arranged. |
submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, flaccid; stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, white, not ligulate, 0.6–1.8 cm, fibrous, rarely shredding at tip, apex obtuse; blade light green to somewhat reddish, linear, not arcuate, 3–8.2 cm × 1–3.5 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, obtuse or round-apiculate, lacunae in 1–3 rows each side of midrib; veins 3. |
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. |
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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. |
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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, axillary, erect, rarely recurved, cylindric, 0.8–1.9(–4.2) cm; spike not dimorphic, cylindric, 8–13 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, olive-green to brown, obovoid, turgid, abaxially keeled or not, laterally keeled or not, 2.5–3.6 × 1.7–2.4 mm, lateral keels when present without points; beak erect, 0.8–1 mm; sides without basal tubercles; embryo with 1 full spiral. |
2n | = 52. |
= 26. |
Potamogeton natans |
Potamogeton obtusifolius |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer–fall. | Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. |
Habitat | Quiet or slow-flowing waters of ponds, lakes, and streams | Medium- to low-alkaline waters of lakes and slow-flowing streams |
Elevation | 0–3100 m (0–10200 ft) | 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft) |
Distribution |
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
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AK; CT; ID; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Eurasia
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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 obtusifolius is a distinctive linear-leaved species with the leaf blades round at the apex, especially when fruiting inflorescences 5–7 mm wide are present. This is unusually wide for one of the linear-leaved species. Two hybrids, Potamogeton obtusifolius × P. pusillus (= P. × saxonicus Hagström) and P. friesii × obtusifolius (= P. × semifructus A. Bennett ex Ascherson & Graebner), have been described. (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 | ||
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 126. (1753) | Mertens & W. D. J. Koch: in J. C. Röhling et al., Deutschl. Fl., ed. 3 1: 855. (1823) |
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