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Potamogeton richardsonii — Richardson's pondweed

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New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Facts

Richardson's pondweed is similar to clasping-leaved pondweed (Potamogeton perfoliatus), but Richardson's pondweed has more acute leaf blade apices, and when the stipules disintegrate, fibrous strands of the veins persist.

Habitat

Lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), riverine (in rivers or streams)

Characteristics

Habitat
aquatic
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Vermont
Leaf position
the leaves are all submerged underwater
Leaf arrangement
  • alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
  • whorled: there are three or more leaves per node along the stem
Leaf blade length
16–130 mm
Petal or sepal number
there are four petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
Specific leaf type
the leaf is not divided, rather the blade is made up of one segment
Floating leaf shape
NA
Underwater leaf blade width
5–28 mm
Fruit type (general)
  • the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
  • the fruit is fleshy
Underwater leaf length
16–130 mm
Show all characteristics

  • Clonal plantlets

    Turion length
    0 mm

  • Flowers

    Carpels fused
    the carpel is solitary or (if 2 or more) the carpels are not fused to one another
    Flower lower lip length
    0 mm
    Flower number
    8–48
    Flower position
    the flowers are above the surface of the water
    Flower symmetry
    there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
    Inflorescence length
    13–37 mm
    Inflorescence type
    the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
    Inflorescence width
    10 mm
    Length of flower stalk
    20–40 mm
    Length of peduncle
    15–148 mm
    Nectar spur
    the flower has no nectar spurs
    Number of carpels
    4
    Ovary position
    the sepals and/or petals are attached below the ovary
    Palate on corolla
    no
    Petal and sepal arrangement
    the flower includes only one cycle of petals or sepals
    Petal appearance
    the petals are green and/or leafy in texture
    Petal fringed edges
    the petals are not fringed
    Petal fusion
    the perianth parts are separate
    Petal hairs on inner/upper surface
    there are no hairs on the inner/upper petal surface
    Petal number
    4
    Petal or sepal number
    there are four petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
    Pistil number
    4
    Sepal appearance
    NA
    Sepal length
    0 mm
    Sepal number
    0
    Sepals fused only to sepals
    NA
    Spur length
    0 mm
    Stamen number
    4
    Stamen position relative to petals
    NA
    Stamens fused to petals
    the stamens are fused near the bases of the petals or tepals
    Style number
    4

  • Fruits or seeds

    Fruit beak length
    0.4–0.7 mm
    Fruit length
    2.2–4.2 mm
    Fruit type (general)
    • the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
    • the fruit is fleshy
    Fruit type (specific)
    • the fruit is a drupe (fleshy, with a firm inner ovary wall that encloses a single seed)
    • the fruit is an achene (dry, usually 1-seeded, does not separate or split open at maturity)
    Fruit width
    1.7–2.9 mm

  • Glands or sap

    Oil glands on nodes
    none of the nodes have oil glands
    Sap
    the sap is clear and watery

  • Growth form

    Lifespan
    the plant lives more than two years
    Root septa
    the roots do not have transverse septa
    Roots floating in water
    there are no clusters of roots floating in the water
    Turions
    there are no turions on the plant
    Underground organs
    the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)

  • Leaves

    Bract position (Sparganium)
    NA
    Bract relative length
    At least 3854 mm
    Bracts
    neither the flowers nor their pedicels have bracts
    Floating leaf basal lobes
    NA
    Floating leaf blade width
    0 mm
    Floating leaf length
    0 mm
    Floating leaf shape
    NA
    Floating leaf tip
    NA
    Floral bract form
    NA
    Floral bract length
    0 mm
    Leaf arrangement
    • alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
    • whorled: there are three or more leaves per node along the stem
    Leaf blade length
    16–130 mm
    Leaf blade veins
    the lateral veins are parallel or slightly arched in the direction of the tip
    Leaf blade width
    5–28 mm
    Leaf position
    the leaves are all submerged underwater
    Leaf special features
    none of the mentioned special features are present
    Leaf-like branch segments
    0
    Leaf-like branch shape
    NA
    Specific leaf type
    the leaf is not divided, rather the blade is made up of one segment
    Staminate bract edge (Myriophyllum)
    NA
    Stipule appearance
    the stipules are firm or fibrous, and colored white, green or brown
    Stipule fused to leaf
    the stipules are not attached to the leaf blade at all
    Stipules
    the plant has stipules
    Stipules fused around stem
    the stipules do not forma closed tube around the stem
    Trap-bladder length
    0 mm
    Underwater leaf air passage number
    At least 1439
    Underwater leaf air passage relative width
    At least 4336
    Underwater leaf air passage row number
    0
    Underwater leaf blade edges
    the underwater leaf has tiny, one-celled spines or points along the edge
    Underwater leaf blade shape
    • the underwater leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
    • the underwater leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
    Underwater leaf blade veins
    3–35
    Underwater leaf blade width
    5–28 mm
    Underwater leaf length
    16–130 mm
    Underwater leaf stalk
    no
    Underwater leaf stalk length
    0 mm
    Underwater leaf tip shape
    • the tip of the underwater leaf is acute (sharply pointed)
    • the tip of the underwater leaf is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
    Veins in floating leaf
    0

  • Place

    Habitat
    aquatic
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • in lakes or ponds
    • in rivers or streams

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Flowering stem growth form
    the flowering stem is upright

Wetland status

Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)

New England distribution and conservation status

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
absent
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Massachusetts
uncommon (uncertain) (S-rank: S3?)
New Hampshire
historical (S-rank: SH), endangered (code: E)

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Potamogeton perfoliatus:
leaf blades ovate to suborbicular, mostly 9–76 mm long, delicately 7- to 15-veined, and stipules disintegrating and absent on the lower part of the stem (vs. P. richardsonii, with leaf blades narrow-ovate to narrow-lanceolate, mostly 30–130 mm long, coarsely 13- to 21-veined, and stipules disintegrating into persistent fibers).
Potamogeton praelongus:
leaf blades strictly entire, mostly 80–280 mm long, the apex cucullate and usually splitting when pressed, rhizome spotted with red-brown, and stipules persistent (vs. P. richardsonii, with leaf blades provided with minute, caducous, 1-celled spicules along the margin, mostly 30-130 mm long, the apex flat and not splitting when pressed, rhizome unspotted, and stipules disintegrating and remaining as fibers).

Synonyms

  • Potamogeton perfoliatus L. var. richardsonii Benn.

Family

Potamogetonaceae

Genus

Potamogeton

Help

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae

23.  Potamogeton richardsonii (Benn.) Rydb. N

Richardson’s pondweed. Potamogeton perfoliatus L. var. richardsonii Benn. • CT, MA, ME, nh, vT. Shallow, still or slow-moving, circumneutral to basic water of lakes and rivers.

11×23. Potamogeton gramineus × Potamogeton richardsonii → 182 × 185. Potamogeton ×hagstroemii Benn. is a rare pondweed hybrid known from ME, VT. This hybrid has submersed leaves mostly 4–7.7 cm long with 5–9 veins. The hybrid differs from P. gramineus by its leaf blades that are convexly tapered to the base (rather than a long, straight taper to a narrow base). It differs from P. richardsonii in the +/- sessile leaves that are not cordate-clasping and submersed leaves with fewer veins.

13×23. Potamogeton illinoensis × Potamogeton richardsonii → This very rare pondweed hybrid is known from CT. It has sessile, broad-lanceolate to narrow-ovate leaf blades that vary from not clasping to weakly clasping, have mostly 18–21 veins, the principal ones mostly 48–77 mm long. The lower stipules disintegrate into fibers.

19×23. Potamogeton perfoliatus × Potamogeton richardsonii → Potamogeton ×‌absconditus Z. Kaplan, Fehrer, & Hellquist is a very rare pondweed hybrid known from CT, ME, VT. It is very difficult to distinguish from its parental taxa due to the close morphological similarity. It is most similar to P. perfoliatus with regard to habit and leaf blade shape, but the stipules, even though translucent and delicate, disintegrate into ± white fibers like P. richardsonii (but the fibers can be very fine and difficult to detect).

20×23. Potamogeton praelongus × Potamogeton richardsonii → This rare pondweed hybrid is known from CT; also reported from MA by Angelo and Boufford (2000), but the specimen (at MASS!) has a qualified (i.e., tentative) determination and is equivocal. It is intermediate in morphology between its parental species.