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Tennessee pondweed

Oakes' pondweed, potamot d'Oakes

Rhizomes

present.

present.

Cauline stems

terete, without spots, 10–35 cm;

glands absent.

terete, with red spots, 7–75 cm;

nodal glands absent.

Turions

absent.

absent.

Leaves

both submersed and floating or floating absent, ± spirally arranged.

both submersed and floating, ± spirally arranged.

Floating leaves

petiolate;

petioles continuous in color to apex, 2.5–6 cm;

blade greenish brown adaxially, lance-oblong, 2–4(–5.5) cm × 5–13 mm, base acute, apex acute;

veins 9–23.

petioles continuous in color to apex, 3.2–7.5 cm;

blade adaxially light to dark green, lanceolate to elliptic or ovate, (1.5–)2–4(–5.5) cm × 10–20(–30) mm, base rounded or tapering, apex acute;

veins (7–)9–19(–23).

Submersed leaves

sessile, lax;

stipules persistent, inconspicuous, convolute, adnate to blade for ¼ or less stipule length, light brown to dark green, ligulate, 0.5–1.5 cm, not fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex acute;

blade red-brown to dark green, linear-filiform, not arcuate, 2.5–10.5 cm × 0.2–1(–2) mm, base slightly tapering, not clasping, without basal lobes, margins entire, not crispate, apex not hoodlike, long tapering, lacunae abundant, broad, filling area between margin and midvein;

veins 1–3.

sessile, lax;

stipules persistent, conspicuous, convolute, free from blade, whitish, not ligulate, 1–3 cm, delicately fibrous, not shredding at tip, apex obtuse;

blade pale green, linear to phyllodial, not arcuate, 5–16 cm × (0.25–)0.3–1 mm, base slightly tapering, without basal lobes, not clasping, margins entire, not crispate, apex acute, not hoodlike, lacunae absent, setaceous;

veins 3.

Inflorescences

unbranched, emersed;

peduncle not dimorphic, axillary, ascending, cylindric, 3–8 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 10–22 mm.

unbranched, emersed;

peduncles not dimorphic, terminal, ascending to spreading, cylindric, 2.5–8 cm;

spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 10–35 mm.

Fruits

sessile, greenish brown, quadrate-orbicular, slightly compressed, abaxially keeled, laterally ridged, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm;

lateral ridges without points;

beak present, erect, 0.5 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with less than 1 full spiral.

sessile, greenish brown, obovoid, turgid, abaxially keeled, laterally keeled, 2.5–3.5(–3.7) × (1.6–)2–2.4 mm, lateral keels without points;

beak erect, 0.4–0.8 mm;

sides without basal tubercles;

embryo with 1 full spiral.

Chromosome number

apparently unknown.

Potamogeton tennesseensis

Potamogeton oakesianus

Phenology Flowering mid spring–fall. Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Slow- to fast-moving streams and rivers Quiet acidic waters of bogs, ponds, and lakes
Elevation 200–1000 m (700–3300 ft) 50–1500 m (200–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
KY; MD; NC; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VA; VT; WI; WV; BC; NB; NL; NS; ON; QC; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

No specimens have been seen from Maryland although the species is to be expected there.

Of conservation concern.

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

Potamogeton oakesianus, along with Potamogeton floridanus and P. natans, has floating leaves and phyllodial submersed leaves. The petioles of this species and of P. floridanus lack a short area of light-colored tissue immediately proximal to the blade.

(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. ogdenii, P. perfoliatus, P. praelongus, P. pulcher, P. pusillus, P. richardsonii, P. robbinsii, P. spirillus, P. strictifolius, P. subsibiricus, 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. 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 Fernald: Rhodora 38: 167, plate 412. (1936) J. W. Robbins: in A. Gray, Manual of Botany of the Northern United States (ed. 5) 485. (1867)
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