Northeast Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Potamogeton diversifolius Raf.
- Family: Pondweed (Potamogetonaceae)
- Flowering: June-September
- Field Marks: The distinguishing features of this pondweed are its submersed leaves up to 1/10 inch wide, its floating leaves elliptic to oval, and two kinds of spikes. The spikes in the axils of the submersed leaves are nearly spherical, while those in the axils of the floating leaves are elongated.
- Habitat: Ponds, streams.
- Habit: Aquatic perennial from slender, fibrous rootstocks.
- Stems: Much branched, slender, smooth.
- Leaves: Of 2 kinds: floating leaves elliptic to oval, broadly rounded at both ends, up to 3 1/2 inches long, up to 3/4 inch wide, with a flattened stalk up to 1 inch long; submersed leaves linear, rounded or slightly pointed at the tip, narrowed to the base, up to 2 inches long, up to 1/10 inch wide, sessile.
- Flowers: Crowded into spikes of two kinds, the spikes in the axils of the submersed leaves nearly spherical, those in the axils of the floating leaves elongated.
- Sepals: 4, free from each other, green, nearly spherical, about 1/20 inch across.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 4.
- Pistils: 4, free from each other, smooth.
- Fruits: Spherical to kidney-shaped, smooth but keeled, up to 1/10 inch in diameter, green to greenish brown, with a minute beak.
- Notes: Waterfowl eat the achenes.
Previous Species -- Curly Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)
Return to Species List -- Group 4
Next Species -- Ribbon-leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton epihydrus)
