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

small pondweed

Rhizomes

present.

absent.

Cauline stems

terete, without spots, to 100 cm;

nodal glands absent.

terete to slightly compressed, without spots, 18–150 cm;

glands present on at least some nodes, green, gold, brown, or rarely white, to 0.5 mm diam.

Turions

absent.

common, soft, lateral or terminal, 0.9–3.2 cm × 0.3–1.8 mm, soft;

leaves ± 2-ranked;

outer leaves 1–3 per side, base not corrugate, apex subulate to obtuse;

inner leaves rolled into hardened fusiform structure.

Leaves

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

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, delicate to coarse;

stipules persistent, inconspicuous, connate or convolute, free from base of blade, brown to green or white, not ligulate, 0.31–0.92 cm, rarely appearing fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade pale green to olive-green, rarely somewhat reddish, linear, not arcuate, 0.9–6.5 cm × 0.2–2.5 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, subulate to obtuse, lacunae absent or present, in 0–5 rows each side of midrib;

veins 1–3(–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, submersed or emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, axillary or terminal, erect, rarely recurved, filiform to slightly clavate, 0.5–6.2(–6.6) cm;

spikes not dimorphic, capitate to cylindric, 1.5–10.1 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, green to brown, ovoid to obovoid, turgid to concave, not abaxially or laterally keeled, 1.5–2.2 × 1.2–1.6 mm;

beak erect, 0.1–0.6;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with less than 1 full spiral.

2n

= 52.

Potamogeton nodosus

Potamogeton pusillus

Phenology Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Clear to turbid waters of lakes, streams, rivers, and sloughs
Elevation 0–3300 m (0–10800 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; 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; MB; NB; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; nearly worldwide
[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.)

Three hybrids, Potamogeton perfoliatus × P. pusillus (= P. × mysticus Morong), P. friesii × P. pusillus (= P. × pusilliformis Fisher [P. × intermedius Fischer]), and P. obtusifolius × P. pusillus (= P. × saxonicus Hagström), have been described.

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Leaf blade 1-veined, subulate, 0.2–0.7 mm wide; New England and s Quebec.
subsp. gemmiparus
1. Leaf blade 1–5-veined, acute to obtuse, 0.2–2.5 mm wide; widespread throughout North America.
→ 2
2. Mature fruits obovoid, sides concave; beak toward adaxial edge, rarely median; peduncles filiform to cylindric, 1–3 per plant; inflorescences interrupted; leaf blade with 0–2 rows of lacunae along midrib, apex acute, rarely apiculate, rarely with bristle; stipules connate.
subsp. pusillus
2. Mature fruits widest at middle or ovoid, sides rounded; beak median, not toward adaxial edge; peduncles cylindric, more than 3 per plant; inflorescences continuous; leaf blade with 1–5 rows of lacunae along midrib, apex acute to obtuse; stipules convolute.
subsp. tenuissimus
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. obtusifolius, P. ogdenii, P. perfoliatus, P. praelongus, P. pulcher, P. richardsonii, P. robbinsii, P. spirillus, P. strictifolius, P. subsibiricus, P. tennesseensis, P. vaseyi, P. zosteriformis
Subordinate taxa
P. pusillus subsp. gemmiparus, P. pusillus subsp. pusillus, P. pusillus subsp. tenuissimus
Name authority Poiret: in J. Lamarck et al., Encyclopedie Methodique. Botanique... Supplement 4(2): 5354. (1816) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 127. 1753 (as pusillum)
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