Potamogeton epihydrus

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Potamogeton epihydrus
Potamogeton epihydrus NRCS-1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Potamogetonaceae
Genus: Potamogeton
Species:
P. epihydrus
Binomial name
Potamogeton epihydrus
Synonyms [1]
  • Potamogeton cayugensis(Wiegand) Hagstr.
  • Potamogeton claytoniiTuck.
  • Potamogeton nuttalliiCham. & Schltdl.
  • Potamogeton pennsylvanicus Willd. ex Cham. & Schltdl.
  • Potamogeton pumilusWolfg.
  • Potamogeton purshiiTuck. ex Jennison

Potamogeton epihydrus is a perennial aquatic plant known by the common names ribbonleaf pondweed and Nuttall's pondweed (not to be confused with Elodea nuttallii ), and American pondweed in the United Kingdom. [2] It is native to much of North America, where it grows in water bodies such as ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow-moving streams. [3]

Contents

Description

The plant is a perennial rhizomatous herb producing narrow, compressed, unspotted stems, up to a length of about 1 m, [3] [4] which are unbranched or sparingly branched. [5] It has two types of leaf:

The inflorescence is a small spike of flowers that arises from the water on a peduncle 1.5–5 (rarely, up to 16) cm. [3]

It is a diploid species, with 2n = 26. [3] [6] Hybrids have been described with P. gramineus , P. nodosus (P. × subsessilisHagstrom), P. bicupulatus (P. × aemulansZ. Kaplan, Hellq. and Fehrer), and P. perfoliatus (P. × versicolorZ. Kaplan, Hellq. and Fehrer). [3] [7]

Potamogeton epihydrus, whole plant. Photo: Barre Hellquist. P. epihydrus with transitional leaves, YNP.jpg
Potamogeton epihydrus, whole plant. Photo: Barre Hellquist.

Taxonomy

Potamogeton epihydrus (meaning 'on the water surface') was described by Rafinesque in 1808, [1] one of the earlier North American species to be named.

DNA analysis [8] indicates that, despite the presence of floating leaves, P. epihydrus is closely related to P. tennesseensis, both of which are within the basal members of the large clade of fine-leaved pondweeds including P. diversifolius , P. pusillus and P. compressus .

Distribution

Ribbonleaf pondweed is predominantly a North American species, widespread in boreal and temperate areas. Its centres of distribution are the northeastern USA; southeastern Canada, from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes; and the Pacific seaboard from northern California to British Columbia. There are scattered populations in Alabama and Louisiana, Alaska, Wyoming, Montana and central Canada. [3]

There are two isolated populations in Britain, where it was identified as recently as 1944: [9] in the Outer Hebrides, where it is thought to be naturally occurring; and an accidentally introduced population in the Rochdale and Calder & Hebble Canals. [4]

Ecology and conservation

Ribbonleaf pondweed generally grows in shallow, standing to slow-flowing standing and running waters at up to 1900 m altitude. [3] It tolerates acid waters as low as pH 5 and has a preference for oligotrophic, soft water conditions. [4] [10] [11] Liming experiments suggest that it is sensitive to severe acidification. [12] It is a poor disperser relative to many other aquatic plants occurring in Connecticut lakes. [10]

It is generally common and widespread in North America; [3] however, it is listed as Endangered in Indiana and Special Concern in Tennessee. [13] In Britain it is Nationally Rare and listed as Vulnerable. [14] [15] British populations lack detectable genetic variation, suggesting a strong founder effect. [16]

Cultivation

P. epihydrus is not in cultivation, but would be worth attempting to grow. Its fairly small size, ribbonlike underwater leaves and scattered floating leaves could be effectively used in garden ponds, tubs or streams. Introduced populations in Britain have not proved invasive, so there is little chance of it becoming problematic. Like other pondweeds, it must be planted with the root in contact with a suitable substrate such as aquatic compost.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potamogetonaceae</span> Family of aquatic plants

The Potamogetonaceae, commonly referred to as the pondweed family, is an aquatic family of monocotyledonous flowering plants. The roughly 110 known species are divided over six genera. The largest genus in the family by far is Potamogeton, which contains about 100 species.

<i>Potamogeton</i> Genus of aquatic plants

Potamogeton is a genus of aquatic, mostly freshwater, plants of the family Potamogetonaceae. Most are known by the common name pondweed, although many unrelated plants may be called pondweed, such as Canadian pondweed. The genus name means "river neighbor", originating from the Greek potamos (river) and geiton (neighbor).

<i>Potamogeton crispus</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton crispus, the crisp-leaved pondweed, curly pondweed, curly-leaf pondweed or curled pondweed, is a species of aquatic plant (hydrophyte) native to Eurasia but an introduced species and often a noxious weed in North America.

<i>Potamogeton perfoliatus</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton perfoliatus is a perennial aquatic plant in the family Potamogetonaceae occurring in both standing and flowing freshwater habitats. It is widely distributed globally, occurring in all continents except South America and Antarctica.

<i>Potamogeton praelongus</i> Species of flowering plant

Potamogeton praelongus, commonly known as whitestem pondweed in North America and long-stalked pondweed in Britain, is a large, perennial aquatic plant in the family Potamogetonaceae. It is widely distributed in lakes and rivers in the northern hemisphere, but is sensitive to poor water quality.

<i>Potamogeton polygonifolius</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton polygonifolius or bog pondweed, is an aquatic plant. It is found in shallow, nutrient-poor, usually acid standing or running water, bogs, fens and occasionally ditches.

<i>Potamogeton coloratus</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton coloratus, the fen pondweed, is an aquatic plant in the genus Potamogeton. It is found in shallow peaty calcareous lakes, ponds and ditches, commonly associated with lowland fens.

<i>Potamogeton lucens</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton lucens, or shining pondweed, is an aquatic perennial plant native to Eurasia and North Africa. It grows in relatively deep, still or slow-flowing, calcareous freshwater habitats.

<i>Potamogeton alpinus</i> Species of flowering plant

Potamogeton alpinus is a species of perennial aquatic plant known by the common names alpine pondweed and red pondweed. It is widespread in the northern hemisphere in both rivers and lakes with good water quality.

<i>Potamogeton diversifolius</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton diversifolius is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names waterthread pondweed and diverse-leaved pondweed. It is native to most of the United States, as well as sections of southwestern Canada, and northern Mexico, where it grows in water bodies such as ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow-moving streams. This is a perennial herb producing a very narrow, compressed stem branching to a maximum length around 35 centimeters. It has thin, pointed linear leaves a few centimeters long spirally arranged about the thin stem. The inflorescence is a small spike of flowers emerging from the water surface. Inflorescences also grow on submersed sections of the stem; these are smaller and spherical. It can be difficult to distinguish from similar species of pondweed.

<i>Potamogeton gramineus</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton gramineus is a species of aquatic plant known by the common name various-leaved pondweed, variableleaf pondweed, grass-leaved pondweed or grassy pondweed, native to the northern hemisphere where it grows in shallow, clean water.

<i>Potamogeton pusillus</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton pusillus is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names small pondweed, lesser pondweed or least pondweed. It occurs in standing and slow-flowing freshwater habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

<i>Potamogeton compressus</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton compressus is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names grass-wrack pondweed, flatstem pondweed and eel-grass pondweed.

American pondweed is a common name for several aquatic plants, and may refer to:

<i>Potamogeton obtusifolius</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton obtusifolius, known as blunt-leaved pondweed, is an aquatic plant in the genus Potamogeton. It grows mainly in mesotrophic to eutrophic lakes, ponds and ditches, rarely in brackish water. It occurs primarily in Central Europe, the British Isles, Fennoscandia and eastern North America.

<i>Potamogeton berchtoldii</i> Species of plant

Potamogeton berchtoldii, common name small pondweed is an aquatic plant.

<i>Potamogeton acutifolius</i> Species of plant

Potamogeton acutifolius is a European species of aquatic plant in the family Potamogetonaceae, known by the common name sharp-leaved pondweed. It is threatened and declining in at least part of its range.

Potamogeton × griffithii is a hybrid pondweed between Potamogeton alpinus and Potamogeton praelongus. It occurs in oligotrophic, moderate alkalinity lakes.

<i>Potamogeton trichoides</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton trichoides is a species of aquatic plant known by the common name hairlike pondweed, native to Europe and western Asia where it grows in calcareous, usually nutrient-rich standing or slow-flowing water.

<i>Potamogeton friesii</i> Species of aquatic plant

Potamogeton friesii, known as flat-stalked pondweed, or Fries' pondweed, is an aquatic plant in the genus Potamogeton. It grows mainly in mesotrophic to eutrophic rivers, lakes, ponds and ditches, rarely in brackish water. It occurs in North America, Europe, western Asia and a few scattered locations elsewhere in Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 The Plant List: Potamogeton epihydrus. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic Gardens. Accessed November 18, 2014
  2. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Haynes R.R., Hellquist C.B. 2014. Potamogeton epihydrus. In: Flora of North America Online (efloras.org)
  4. 1 2 3 Preston C.D. (1995). Pondweeds of Great Britain and Ireland. BSBI Handbook No. 8. Botanical Society of the British Isles, London.
  5. ↑ Wiegleb G., Kaplan Z. 1998. An account of the species of Potamogeton L. Folia Geobotanica, 33, 241–316
  6. ↑ Kaplan Z., Jarolímová V., Fehrer J, 2013. Revision of chromosome numbers of Potamogetonaceae: a new basis for taxonomic and evolutionary implications. Preslia, 85, 421–482.
  7. ↑ Kaplan Z., Fehrer J., Hellquist C.B. 2009. New Hybrid Combinations Revealed by Molecular Analysis: The Unknown Side of North American Pondweed Diversity (Potamogeton). Systematic Botany, 34, 625–642.
  8. ↑ Lindqvist C., De Laet J., Haynes R.R., Aagesen L., Keener B.R., Albert V.A. 2006. Molecular phylogenetics of an aquatic plant lineage, Potamogetonaceae. Cladistics, 22, 568–588.
  9. ↑ Heslop Harrison J.W. 1950. A pondweed, new to the European flora, from the Scottish Western Isles, with some remarks on the phytogeography of the island group. Phyton Annales Rei Botanicae, Horn, 2, 104–109.
  10. 1 2 Capers R.S., Selsky R., Bugbee G.J. 2009. The relative importance of local conditions and regional processes in structuring aquatic plant communities. Freshwater Biology, 55, 952–966. Archived 2010-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Pierce, J.R., Jensen M.E. 2002. A Classification of Aquatic Plant Communities Within the Northern Rocky Mountains. Western North American Naturalist, 62, 257–265.
  12. ↑ Weiher E.R., Boylen C.W., Bukaveckas P.A. 1994. Alterations in Aquatic Plant Community Structure following Liming of an Acidic Adirondack Lake. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 51, 20–24.
  13. ↑ Plants Profile: Potamogeton epihydrus
  14. ↑ Preston C.D., Pearman D.A., Dines T.D. 2014. Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora: Potamogeton epihydrus.
  15. ↑ Cheffings C.M., Farrell, L. (Eds), Dines T.D., Jones R.A., Leach S.J., McKean D.R., Pearman D.A., Preston C.D., Rumsey F.J., Taylor I. 2005. The Vascular Plant Red Data List for Great Britain. Species Status, 7, 1–116. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.
  16. ↑ Hollingsworth P.M., Preston C.D., Gornall R.J. 1998. Lack of detectable isozyme variability in British populations of Potamogeton epihydrus (Potamogetonaceae). Aquatic Botany, 60, 433–437.
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