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heartleaf pondweed, potamot gracieux, spotted pondweed

Rhizomes

present.

Cauline stems

terete, conspicuously spotted, 8–95 cm;

nodal glands absent.

Turions

absent.

Leaves

both submersed and floating, ± spirally arranged.

Floating leaves

petioles continuous in color to apex, 1–16.5 cm;

blade adaxially light to dark green, lanceolate to round-ovate, 2.5–8.5 cm × 11–44 mm, base rounded to cordate, apex acute to rounded;

veins 15–21.

Submersed leaves

petiolate, lax;

stipules deliquescent, inconspicuous, convolute, free from blade, light to dark brown, not ligulate, 0.7–1.2 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

petioles 0.5–4.5 cm;

blade dark green, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, often arcuate, 3.5–13.8 cm × 60–165 mm acute, base acute to rounded, without basal lobes, margins entire, crispate, apex not hoodlike, acute to obtuse, lacunae in 2–5 rows each side of midrib;

veins 7–19.

Inflorescences

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal or axillary, erect to ascending, cylindric, 3.3–9.4 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 17–36 mm.

Fruits

sessile, dark green to dark brown, ovoid to obovoid, turgid, abaxially keeled, laterally ridged, 5–6.5 × 4.1–5 mm, lateral ridges without points;

beak erect, 0.5 mm;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

Chromosome number

apparently unknown not available.

Potamogeton pulcher

Phenology Flowers summer–fall.
Habitat Stagnant to slow-flowing waters of streams, lakes, ponds, and small rivers
Elevation 0–700 m (0–2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; NB; NS; PE; Ont
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Discussion

Potamogeton pulcher is similar in morphology to P. amplifolius and occurs in similar habitats. Potamogeton pulcher differs from P. amplifolius by the former having lanceolate to linear-lanceolate submersed leaves with fewer than 19 veins, whereas the latter has ovate submersed leaves with more than 19 veins.

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

Source FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa 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. ogdenii, P. perfoliatus, P. praelongus, P. pusillus, P. richardsonii, P. robbinsii, P. spirillus, P. strictifolius, P. subsibiricus, P. tennesseensis, P. vaseyi, P. zosteriformis
Name authority Tuckerman: American Journal of Science, and Arts 45:38. (1843)
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