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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Floating-leaf Pondweed
Potamogeton natans L.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Pondweed (Potamogetonaceae)
Flowering: June-August
Field Marks: This species has ovate to elliptic floating leaves and long, linear, submersed leaves. The achenes are 1/6-1/4 inch long.
Habitat: In shallow ponds, around the edge of lakes, in slow-moving streams, often in brackish water.
Habit: Partially submersed perennial with a stout rhizome.
Stems: Slender, unbranched, not flattened, up to 1 1/2 feet long, smooth.
Leaves: Floating leaves leathery, ovate to elliptic, up to 4 inches long, up to 2 1/2 inches wide, rounded at the tip, rounded or heart-shaped at the base, without teeth, smooth, with long leaf stalks; submersed leaves linear, up to 8 inches lon
Flowers: Densely crowded into spikes, the spikes up to 2 1/2 inches long.
Sepals: 4, free from each other, greenish, up to 1/8 inch long.
Petals: O.
Stamens: 4.
Pistils: 4, free from each other, smooth.
Fruits: Achenes ellipsoid to obovoid, up to 1/4 inch long, with a curved beak about 1/24 inch long.
Notes: The achenes are eaten by waterfowl.

Previous Species -- Fine-leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton filiformis)
Return to Species List -- Group 4
Next Species -- Long-leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton nodosus)

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