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

small pondweed

clasping-leaf pondweed, potamot perfolié

Rhizomes

absent.

present.

Cauline stems

terete to slightly compressed, without spots, 18–150 cm;

glands present on at least some nodes, green, gold, brown, or rarely white, to 0.5 mm diam.

terete, without spots, to 250 cm;

nodal glands absent.

Turions

common, soft, lateral or terminal, 0.9–3.2 cm × 0.3–1.8 mm, soft;

leaves ± 2-ranked;

outer leaves 1–3 per side, base not corrugate, apex subulate to obtuse;

inner leaves rolled into hardened fusiform structure.

absent.

Leaves

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, delicate to coarse;

stipules persistent, inconspicuous, connate or convolute, free from base of blade, brown to green or white, not ligulate, 0.31–0.92 cm, rarely appearing fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade pale green to olive-green, rarely somewhat reddish, linear, not arcuate, 0.9–6.5 cm × 0.2–2.5 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, subulate to obtuse, lacunae absent or present, in 0–5 rows each side of midrib;

veins 1–3(–5).

submersed, ± spirally arranged, sessile, lax;

stipules deteriorating into fibers and deciduous, inconspicuous (absent on proximal portion of stem), convolute, free from blade, light brown to green, not ligulate, 3.5–6.5 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at apex;

blade olive-green, broadly lanceolate, orbiculate, or ovate, not arcuate, 0.9–7.6(–9.7) cm × 7–40 mm, base rounded, without basal lobes, clasping, margins entire, often crispate, apex not hoodlike, not splitting when pressed, round, rarely acute;

veins 3–25.

Inflorescences

unbranched, submersed or emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, axillary or terminal, erect, rarely recurved, filiform to slightly clavate, 0.5–6.2(–6.6) cm;

spikes not dimorphic, capitate to cylindric, 1.5–10.1 mm.

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal or axillary, erect to rarely recurved, cylindric, 1–7.3 cm;

spike not dimorphic, cylindric, 0.4–4.8 cm.

Fruits

sessile, green to brown, ovoid to obovoid, turgid to concave, not abaxially or laterally keeled, 1.5–2.2 × 1.2–1.6 mm;

beak erect, 0.1–0.6;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with less than 1 full spiral.

sessile, greenish brown to olive-green, obovoid, turgid or rarely concave, not abaxially or laterally keeled, 1.6–3 × 1.3–2.2 mm;

beak erect, 0.4–0.6 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

2n

= 52.

Potamogeton pusillus

Potamogeton perfoliatus

Phenology Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Waters, often brackish, of lakes, streams, rivers, and bays
Elevation 0–100 m [0–300 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; nearly worldwide
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; DE; FL; LA; MA; MD; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; VA; VT; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM; Africa; Greenland; Eurasia; Central America (Guatemala); Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Three hybrids, Potamogeton perfoliatus × P. pusillus (= P. × mysticus Morong), P. friesii × P. pusillus (= P. × pusilliformis Fisher [P. × intermedius Fischer]), and P. obtusifolius × P. pusillus (= P. × saxonicus Hagström), have been described.

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Four hybrids, Potamogeton perfoliatus × P. praelongus (= P. × cognatus Ascherson & Graebner), P. perfoliatus × P. pusillus (= P. × mysticus Morong), P. gramineus × P. perfoliatus (= P. × nitens Weber [P. × subnitens Hagström]), and P. alpinus × P. perfoliatus (= P. × prussicus Hagström), have been described.

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

Key
1. Leaf blade 1-veined, subulate, 0.2–0.7 mm wide; New England and s Quebec.
subsp. gemmiparus
1. Leaf blade 1–5-veined, acute to obtuse, 0.2–2.5 mm wide; widespread throughout North America.
→ 2
2. Mature fruits obovoid, sides concave; beak toward adaxial edge, rarely median; peduncles filiform to cylindric, 1–3 per plant; inflorescences interrupted; leaf blade with 0–2 rows of lacunae along midrib, apex acute, rarely apiculate, rarely with bristle; stipules connate.
subsp. pusillus
2. Mature fruits widest at middle or ovoid, sides rounded; beak median, not toward adaxial edge; peduncles cylindric, more than 3 per plant; inflorescences continuous; leaf blade with 1–5 rows of lacunae along midrib, apex acute to obtuse; stipules convolute.
subsp. tenuissimus
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. ogdenii, P. perfoliatus, P. praelongus, P. pulcher, 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. praelongus, P. pulcher, P. pusillus, P. richardsonii, P. robbinsii, P. spirillus, P. strictifolius, P. subsibiricus, P. tennesseensis, P. vaseyi, P. zosteriformis
Subordinate taxa
P. pusillus subsp. gemmiparus, P. pusillus subsp. pusillus, P. pusillus subsp. tenuissimus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 127. 1753 (as pusillum) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 126. 1753 (as perfoliatum)
Web links