Potamogeton obtusifolius |
Potamogeton epihydrus |
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blunt-leaf pondweed, potamot à feuilles obtuses |
Nuttall's ribbon-leaf pondweed, potamot emerge, ribbon-leaf pondweed |
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Rhizomes | absent. |
present. |
Cauline stems | slightly compressed, without spots, 35–90 cm; glands yellow-green to gold, 0.2–1 mm diam. |
flattened, without spots, 10–90 cm; glands absent. |
Turions | 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. |
absent. |
Leaves | 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. |
both submersed and floating or floating absent, ± spirally arranged. |
Floating leaves | petiolate; petioles continuous in color to apex, 2–12.5 cm; blade adaxially light green, narrowly oblong-oblanceolate to elliptic, 2–8 cm × 4–20 mm, base acute, apex rounded or bluntly cuspidate; veins 11–41. |
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Submersed leaves | sessile, lax; stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, red-brown, not ligulate, 1–3 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse; blade red-brown to light green, linear, not arcuate, 5–22 cm × 1–10 mm, base not clasping, without basal lobes, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, blunt to acute, lacunae present, broad band each side of midvein; veins 3–13. |
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Inflorescences | unbranched, emersed; peduncles not dimorphic, axillary, erect, rarely recurved, cylindric, 0.8–1.9(–4.2) cm; spike not dimorphic, cylindric, 8–13 mm. |
unbranched, emersed; peduncles not dimorphic, axillary, erect, cylindric, 1.5–5(–16) cm; spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 0.8–4 cm. |
Fruits | 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. |
sessile, greenish brown, round-obovoid, flattened, abaxially and laterally keeled, 2.5–4.5 × 2–3.6 mm, lateral keels without sharp points; beak erect, 0.5 mm; sides without basal tubercles; embryo with less than 1 full spiral. |
2n | = 26. |
= 26. |
Potamogeton obtusifolius |
Potamogeton epihydrus |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. | Flowering summer–fall. |
Habitat | Medium- to low-alkaline waters of lakes and slow-flowing streams | Still or flowing waters of lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers |
Elevation | 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft) | 10–1900 m (0–6200 ft) |
Distribution |
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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AK; AL; CA; CO; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IN; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MS; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; SPM; Europe
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Discussion | 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.) |
No specimens have been seen from Maryland, but the species is to be expected there. Two varieties, Potamogeton epihydrus var. epihydrus and var. ramosus, have been recognized. These prove not to be distinct. Both varieties often grow in the same body of water in the same population. The wider-leaved plants often occur in more alkaline waters. Two hybrids, P. epihydrus var. nuttallii × P. gramineus and P. epihydrus × P. nodosus (= P. ×subsessilis Hagström), have been described. Potamogeton epihydrus is a common species of lakes and streams of northern United States and southern Canada. It extends southward in the eastern United States to Louisiana and Alabama. Potamogeton epihydrus is one of our more easily recognized species: it has floating leaves, linear submersed leaves, and fruits with an embryo with one full spiral or less. The only other North American pondweed with a similar set of characteristics is P. tennesseensis, which differs from P. epihydrus by the former having long tapering apices in the submersed leaves whereas the latter has blunt to acute apices. (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 | ||
Synonyms | P. epihydrus subsp. nuttallii, P. epihydrus var. ramosus | |
Name authority | Mertens & W. D. J. Koch: in J. C. Röhling et al., Deutschl. Fl., ed. 3 1: 855. (1823) | Rafinesque: Medical Repository 5: 354. 1808, hexade hexade 2; 3; 2:409. (1811) |
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