The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

blunt-leaf pondweed, potamot à feuilles obtuses

northern snail-seed pondweed, potamot spirille, spiral pondweed

Rhizomes

absent.

present.

Cauline stems

slightly compressed, without spots, 35–90 cm;

glands yellow-green to gold, 0.2–1 mm diam.

compressed, without spots, 5–40 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, 5–25 mm;

blade adaxially light green, oblong to obovate, 0.7–—3.5 cm × 2–13 mm, base tapered to rounded, apex obtuse, rounded;

veins 5–15.

Submersed leaves

sessile, lax;

stipules persistent to deliquescent, inconspicuous, convolute, adnate to blade for ½ stipule length, reddish brown to light green, ligulate, 2–12 mm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade red-brown to light green, linear, not arcuate, 0.8–8 cm × 0.5–2 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, obtuse to acute, lacunae present, a broad band each side of midvein;

veins 1–3.

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;

peduncles dimorphic, submersed axillary, recurved, clavate, 0.5–3 mm, emersed axillary or terminal, erect to recurved, slightly clavate, 4–27 mm;

spikes dimorphic, submersed capitate, 2–5 mm, emersed ellipsoid to cylindric, 4–13 mm.

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, somewhat orbicular, compressed, abaxially winged, laterally winged, 4–13 × 1.3–2.4 mm, lateral wing with blunt tips;

beak absent;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with more than 1 full spiral.

2n

= 26.

Potamogeton obtusifolius

Potamogeton spirillus

Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. Flowering mid summer–late fall.
Habitat Medium- to low-alkaline waters of lakes and slow-flowing streams Neutral to acidic waters of ponds, lakes, and streams
Elevation 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft) 0–400 m (0–1300 ft)
Distribution
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]
from FNA
CT; IA; MA; ME; MI; MN; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; VT; WI; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

The This is the firstone of three Potamogeton species in the flora area with dimorphic inflorescences. It can be separated from the other two species because its submersed leaf blades have broad lacunae, extending nearly from the midvein to the margin, and its fruits have lateral wings with blunt points along it. along them.

(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. 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
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. richardsonii, P. robbinsii, P. strictifolius, P. subsibiricus, P. tennesseensis, P. vaseyi, P. zosteriformis
Name authority Mertens & W. D. J. Koch: in J. C. Röhling et al., Deutschl. Fl., ed. 3 1: 855. (1823) Tuckerman: American Journal of Science, and Arts ser. 2, 6:228. (1848)
Web links