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Oakes' pondweed, potamot d'Oakes

clasping-leaf pondweed, potamot de Richardson, Richardson's pondweed

Cauline stems

terete, with red spots, 7–75 cm;

nodal glands absent.

terete, without spots, to 100 cm;

nodal glands absent.

Turions

absent.

absent.

Leaves

both submersed and floating, ± spirally arranged.

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, lax;

stipules persistent, conspicuous, convolute, free from blade, white, not ligulate, 0.12–0.17 cm, fibrous, disintegrating to persistent fibers, even on proximal portion of stem, shredding at apex, apex obtuse;

blade olive green, ovate-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, not arcuate, 1.6–13 cm × 5–28 mm, base rounded, without basal lobes, clasping, margins entire to crispate, apex not hoodlike, not splitting when pressed, acute to obtuse, lacunae absent;

veins 3–35.

Floating leaves

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

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 10–35 mm.

emersed, unbranched;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal or axillary, erect to rarely recurved, clavate, 1.5–14.8 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 13–37 mm.

Fruits

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.

sessile, greenish brown, obovoid, turgid to concave, not or rarely abaxially keeled, not laterally keeled, 2.2–4.2 × 1.7–2.9 mm;

beak erect, 0.4–0.7 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

Chromosome number

apparently unknown.

Rhizome(s)

present.

present.

2n

= 52.

Potamogeton oakesianus

Potamogeton richardsonii

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Quiet acidic waters of bogs, ponds, and lakes Alkaline waters of lakes, streams, and rivers
Elevation 50–1500 m (200–4900 ft) 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VA; VT; WI; WV; BC; NB; NL; NS; ON; QC; SPM
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NH; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT
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Discussion

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.)

Potamogeton richardsonii is quite similar to P. perfoliatus. Specific characteristics to separate the two species are the shape of the leaf blade apex, acute in P. richardsonii and obtuse in P. perfoliatus, and the condition of the stipules, disintegrating between the veins leaving fibrous strands in P. richardsonii, and the entire stipule, including the veins, disintegrating in P. perfoliatus.

Two hybrids, Potamogeton gramineus × P. richardsonii (= P. × hagstroemii A. Bennett [as hagstromii]) and P. nodosus × P. richardsonii (= P. × rectifolius A. Bennett), 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. 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
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. pusillus, P. robbinsii, P. spirillus, P. strictifolius, P. subsibiricus, P. tennesseensis, P. vaseyi, P. zosteriformis
Synonyms P. perfoliatus var. richardsonii, P. perfoliatus subsp. richardsonii
Name authority J. W. Robbins: in A. Gray, Manual of Botany of the Northern United States (ed. 5) 485. (1867) (A. Bennett) Rydberg: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 32: 599. (1905)
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