Potamogeton robbinsii |
Potamogeton strictifolius |
|
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fern pondweed, potamot de Robbins, Robbin's pondweed |
narrowleaf pondweed, potamot à feuilles raides, stiff-leaf pondweed, straight-leaf pondweed |
|
Rhizomes | present. |
absent. |
Cauline stems | terete, without spots, to 100 cm; glands absent. |
terete, without spots, 27–95 cm; glands white, green, greenish brown, or gold, to 0.3 mm diam. |
Turions | absent. |
terminal or lateral, common, 2.5–4.8 cm × 0.8–2.2 mm, soft; leaves ± 2-ranked, flattened with outer and inner leaves in same plane; outer leaves 3–4 per side, base not corrugate, or rarely corrugate, apex acute; inner leaves undifferentiated. |
Leaves | submersed, conspicuously 2-ranked, sessile, stiffish; stipules persistent, conspicuous, adnate to base of blade about ± ¼ length of stipule, connate, greenish brown to white, ligulate, 0.5–2 cm, fibrous, shredding at tip, apex obtuse; blade dark green to reddish green, linear to lanceolate, not arcuate, 2–7(–12) cm × 3–4(–8) mm, base rounded, with basal lobes, not clasping, margins minutely spinulose to serrulate, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, acute, lacunae absent; veins 20–60, fine. |
submersed, ± spirally arranged, rigid, sessile; stipules disintegrating, inconspicuous, connate, free from blade, white, not ligulate, 0.6–1.6 cm, fibrous, shredding at tip, apex obtuse; blade green to olive-green, linear, not arcuate, 1.2–6.3 cm × 0.6–2 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, acute to nearly bristle-tipped, rarely obtuse to apiculate, lacunae absent; veins 3–5(–7). |
Inflorescences | often branched; peduncles not dimorphic, axillary, erect, cylindric, 3–5(–7) cm; spikes not dimorphic, moniliform (i.e., beaded), 7–20 mm. |
unbranched, emersed; peduncles not dimorphic, terminal, erect, rarely recurved, cylindric, rarely slightly clavate, 1–4.5 cm; spike not dimorphic, cylindric, 0.6–1.3 cm. |
Fruits | stipitate, brown, obliquely obovoid, turgid, abaxially and laterally keeled, 3–4(–5) × 2(–3.3) mm, lateral keels without points; beak erect, recurved at apex, 0.7–0.9 mm; sides without basal tubercles; embryo with less than 1 full spiral. |
sessile, green-brown, ovoid, turgid, not abaxially or laterally keeled, 1.9–2.1 × 1.3–1.8 mm; beak erect, 0.5–0.8 mm; sides without basal tubercles; embryo with 1 full spiral. |
2n | = 52. |
= 26. |
Potamogeton robbinsii |
Potamogeton strictifolius |
|
Phenology | Flowering late summer–early fall. | Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. |
Habitat | Shallow to deep water of ponds, lakes, and slow-flowing rivers | Alkaline waters of lakes and slow-moving streams |
Elevation | 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) | 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; AL; CA; CT; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK
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CT; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; ND; NE; NY; OH; PA; SD; UT; VA; VT; WI; WY; AB; MB; NB; ON; QC; SK; YT
|
Discussion | Potamogeton robbinsii is our most easily recognized species when it is fertile. It is the only species with branched inflorescences. The species, however, occurs in fairly deep water, forming large colonies that essentially cover the substrate. Only rarely do the plants flower. It also is the only species with truly auriculate leaves, the blades forming small lobes projecting past the stem on each side of the stem. Leaf blades of other Potamogeton species may have slightly rounded bases, but no others have lobes that actually protrude past the stem. The species has a fairly large disjunction; primarily known from the northern part of the flora, it also occurs in the Tensas River area, Baldwin County, Alabama. The Alabama population has been collected on at least two occasions over 40 years, once as recently as 1970. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Potamogeton strictifolius is a relatively uncommon species found in alkaline waters. Fairly rigid leaves of the species make floating onto paper unnecessary in the collecting process. The leaves have a tendency to become revolute during the growing season. The species superficially resembles several other species of linear-leaved pondweeds. Consequently, many specimens of this species have been misidentified as other species and vice versa. Thus, literature records are often suspect. One hybrid, Potamogeton strictifolius × P. zosteriformis (= P. × haynesii Hellquist & G. E. Crow), 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 | ||
Synonyms | P. strictifolius var. rutiloides | |
Name authority | Oakes: Magazine of horticulture, botany and all useful discoveries and improvements in rural affairs 7: 180. (1841) | A. Bennett: J. Bot. 40: 148. (1902) |
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