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

Ogden's pondweed, potamot d'Ogden

crisp-leaf pondweed, crispate leaf pondweed, curled pondweed, curly pondweed, curly-leaf pondweed, potamot crepu

Rhizomes

absent.

absent.

Cauline stems

compressed-filiform, without spots, to 50 cm;

glands green, golden brown to dark brown, 0.2–0.6 mm diam.

flattened, without spots, to 100 cm;

nodal glands absent.

Turions

terminal or lateral, uncommon, 3.7–9.9 × 2.6–6 cm, soft to hard;

leaves flattened with outer and inner leaves in same plane;

outer leaves 1–2 per side, base not corrugate, apex apiculate;

inner leaves undifferentiated or rolled into hardened, fusiform structure.

common, axillary or terminal, 1.5–3 × ca. 2 cm, hard;

leaves ± 2-ranked;

outer leaves 1–4 per side, base not corrugate, apex rounded;

inner leaves rolled into linear, terete structure, oriented parallel to outer leaves.

Leaves

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, rigid;

stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, brown or rarely white, not ligulate, 0.9–2.1 cm, slightly fibrous, partially shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade somewhat reddish to olive-green, linear, not arcuate, 1.5–10 cm × 1.2–2.9 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, cuspidate to bristle-tipped, lacunae present or absent, in 0–3 rows each side of midvein;

veins 3–9(–13).

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, lax;

stipules persistent to deliquescent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, brownish, not ligulate, to 0.5 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade light to dark green, linear, not arcuate, 1.2–9 cm × 4–10 mm, base obtuse to rounded, without basal lobes, not clasping to nearly clasping, margins conspicuously serrate, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, round to round-acute, lacunae in 2–5 rows each side of midrib;

veins 3–5.

Inflorescences

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal or occasionally axillary, erect or rarely recurved, slightly clavate, 1–3 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 5–11 mm.

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal or rarely axillary, erect to ascending, cylindric, 2.5–4 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 10–15 mm.

Fruits

sessile, dark green, orbicular, turgid, abaxial keel obscure, lateral keels obscure or absent, 2.5–3 × 2.2–3 mm, lateral keels if present without points;

beak erect, 0.5 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

sessile, red to reddish brown, obovoid, turgid to slightly concave, not abaxially or laterally keeled, 6 × 2.5 mm;

beak apically recurved, 2–3 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

Chromosome number

unknownnot available.

2n

= 52 (Europe).

Potamogeton ogdenii

Potamogeton crispus

Phenology Flowering mid summer–fall. Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Alkaline waters of ponds and lakes Quiet waters, especially brackish, alkaline, or eutrophic waters of ponds, lakes, and streams
Elevation 100–300 m (300–1000 ft) 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; MA; NY; VT; ON
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CT; DC; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; ON; QC; SK; Central America (Costa Rica); South America (Colombia, and Argentina); Eurasia; Australia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Potamogeton ogdenii is an extremely local species, probably known from fewer than a dozen localities. The species is herein reported for the first time from Canada, being known from that country by a single collection made in 1987.

Of conservation concern.

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

No specimens have been seen from New Brunswick, but the species is to be expected there.

Potamogeton crispus, an introduced species, has spread throughout much of North America. The expansion of this species’s range from its original collection in North America, apparently about 1840, has been discussed (R. L. Stuckey 1979). This is the only species of pondweeds in North America with serrate leaves and consequently it is easily recognized.

Life history of Potamogeton crispus is unusual as it flowers and fruits in late spring and early summer, at which time it also produces turions. The plants decay shortly after those structures develop, leaving only fruits and turions, which survive the summer. No one has observed any seed germination, but the turions (referred to as dormant apices) germinate in late summer or fall, and the plants overwinter as small plants only a few cm centimeters in size, even under the ice in northern climates (R. L. Stuckey et al. 1978). Growth then continues as the water begins warming in the spring.

One hybrid, Potamogeton crispus × P. praelongus (= P. × undulatus Wolfgang ex Schultes & Schultes f.), has 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. oakesianus, P. oblongus, P. obtusifolius, 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. 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. spirillus, P. strictifolius, P. subsibiricus, P. tennesseensis, P. vaseyi, P. zosteriformis
Name authority Hellquist & R. L. Hilton: Systematic Botany 8: 88, figs. 1–3, plates 1–2, figs. 1–3. (1983) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 126. 1753 (as crispum)
Web links