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

blunt-leaf pondweed, potamot à feuilles obtuses

Rhizomes

present.

absent.

Cauline stems

terete, without spots, to 100 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, or floating absent, ± 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 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, axillary, erect, rarely recurved, cylindric, 0.8–1.9(–4.2) cm;

spike not dimorphic, cylindric, 8–13 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, 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 nodosus

Potamogeton obtusifolius

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering and fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Clear to turbid waters of lakes, streams, rivers, and sloughs Medium- to low-alkaline waters of lakes and slow-flowing streams
Elevation 0–3300 m (0–10800 ft) 50–2000 m (200–6600 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
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
[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.)

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
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. crispus, 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. 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) Mertens & W. D. J. Koch: in J. C. Röhling et al., Deutschl. Fl., ed. 3 1: 855. (1823)
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