Potamogeton tennesseensis |
Potamogeton robbinsii |
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Tennessee pondweed |
fern pondweed, potamot de Robbins, Robbins' pondweed |
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Rhizomes | present. |
present. |
Cauline stems | terete, without spots, 10–35 cm; glands absent. |
terete, without spots, to 100 cm; glands absent. |
Turions | absent. |
absent. |
Leaves | both submersed and floating or floating absent, ± spirally arranged. |
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. |
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. |
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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. |
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Inflorescences | unbranched, emersed; peduncle not dimorphic, axillary, ascending, cylindric, 3–8 cm; spikes not dimorphic, cylindric, 10–22 mm. |
often branched; peduncles not dimorphic, axillary, erect, cylindric, 3–5(–7) cm; spikes not dimorphic, moniliform (i.e., beaded), 7–20 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. |
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. |
2n | = 52. |
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Potamogeton tennesseensis |
Potamogeton robbinsii |
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Phenology | Flowering mid spring–fall. | Flowering late summer–early fall. |
Habitat | Slow- to fast-moving streams and rivers | Shallow to deep water of ponds, lakes, and slow-flowing rivers |
Elevation | 200–1000 m (700–3300 ft) | 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) |
Distribution |
KY; MD; NC; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV |
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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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 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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Fernald: Rhodora 38: 167, plate 412. (1936) | Oakes: Magazine of horticulture, botany and all useful discoveries and improvements in rural affairs 7: 180. (1841) |
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