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loddon's pondweed, long-leaf pondweed, pondweed, potamot noeuex

crisp-leaf pondweed, crispate leaf pondweed, curled pondweed, curly pondweed, curly-leaf pondweed, potamot crepu

Rhizomes

present.

absent.

Cauline stems

terete, without spots, to 100 cm;

nodal glands absent.

flattened, without spots, to 100 cm;

nodal glands absent.

Turions

absent.

common, axillary or terminal, 1.5–3 × ca. 2 cm, hard;

leaves ± 2-ranked;

outer leaves 1–4 per side, base not corrugate, apex rounded;

inner leaves rolled into linear, terete structure, oriented parallel to outer leaves.

Leaves

both submersed and floating, or floating absent, ± spirally arranged.

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, lax;

stipules persistent to deliquescent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, brownish, not ligulate, to 0.5 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade light to dark green, linear, not arcuate, 1.2–9 cm × 4–10 mm, base obtuse to rounded, without basal lobes, not clasping to nearly clasping, margins conspicuously serrate, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, round to round-acute, lacunae in 2–5 rows each side of midrib;

veins 3–5.

Floating leaves

petioles 3.5–26 cm;

blade adaxially light green, lenticular to elliptic, 3–11 cm × 15–45 mm, base cuneate to rounded, apex acute to rounded;

veins 9–21.

Submersed leaves

petiolate, lax;

stipules persistent to deliquescent, conspicuous, convolute, free from blade, light brown, not ligulate, 3–9 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex round to acute;

petioles 2–13 cm;

blade light to dark green, linear-lanceolate to lance-elliptic, not arcuate, 9–20 cm × 10–35 mm, base acute, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, acute, without sharp awl-like tip, lacunae in 2–5 rows each side of midrib;

veins 7–15.

Inflorescences

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal, erect to ascending, cylindric, 3–15 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 20–70 mm.

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal or rarely axillary, erect to ascending, cylindric, 2.5–4 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 10–15 mm.

Fruits

sessile, red to reddish brown, obovoid, abaxially keeled, laterally ridged, 2.7–4.3 × 2.5–3 mm, keel well developed, lateral ridges with blunt to sharp tips;

beak erect;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

sessile, red to reddish brown, obovoid, turgid to slightly concave, not abaxially or laterally keeled, 6 × 2.5 mm;

beak apically recurved, 2–3 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

2n

= 52.

= 52 (Europe).

Potamogeton nodosus

Potamogeton crispus

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Clear to turbid waters of lakes, streams, rivers, and sloughs Quiet waters, especially brackish, alkaline, or eutrophic waters of ponds, lakes, and streams
Elevation 0–3300 m (0–10800 ft) 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; NB; ON; QC; SK; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CT; DC; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; ON; QC; SK; Central America (Costa Rica); South America (Colombia, and Argentina); Eurasia; Australia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Six hybrids, Potamogeton gramineus × P. nodosus (= P. × argutulus Hagström), P. illinoensis × P. nodosus (= P. × faxonii Morong), P. nodosus × P. richardsonii (= P. × rectifolius A. Bennett), P. natans × P. nodosus (= P. × schreberi Fischer [P. × perplexus A. Bennett]), P. alpinus × P. nodosus (= P. × subotusus Hagström), and P. epihydrus × P. nodosus (= P. × subsessilis Hagström), have been described.

Potamogeton nodosus is a common floating-leaved species throughout much of the United States and southern Canada. When both submersed and floating leaves are present, it is very easily recognized by the petioles of the submersed leaves being longer than 5 cm.

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

No specimens have been seen from New Brunswick, but the species is to be expected there.

Potamogeton crispus, an introduced species, has spread throughout much of North America. The expansion of this species’s range from its original collection in North America, apparently about 1840, has been discussed (R. L. Stuckey 1979). This is the only species of pondweeds in North America with serrate leaves and consequently it is easily recognized.

Life history of Potamogeton crispus is unusual as it flowers and fruits in late spring and early summer, at which time it also produces turions. The plants decay shortly after those structures develop, leaving only fruits and turions, which survive the summer. No one has observed any seed germination, but the turions (referred to as dormant apices) germinate in late summer or fall, and the plants overwinter as small plants only a few cm centimeters in size, even under the ice in northern climates (R. L. Stuckey et al. 1978). Growth then continues as the water begins warming in the spring.

One hybrid, Potamogeton crispus × P. praelongus (= P. × undulatus Wolfgang ex Schultes & Schultes f.), has 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
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. 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. diversifolius, P. epihydrus, P. floridanus, P. foliosus, P. friesii, P. gramineus, P. groenlandicus, P. hillii, P. illinoensis, P. natans, 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
Name authority Poiret: in J. Lamarck et al., Encyclopedie Methodique. Botanique... Supplement 4(2): 5354. (1816) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 126. 1753 (as crispum)
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