Potamogeton natans

Potamogeton natans, commonly known as broad-leaved pondweed,[2] floating pondweed,[3] or floating-leaf pondweed, is an aquatic species in the genus Potamogeton native to quiet or slow-flowing freshwater habitats throughout the Holarctic Kingdom.

Potamogeton natans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Potamogetonaceae
Genus: Potamogeton
Species:
P. natans
Binomial name
Potamogeton natans

Description
Floating leaves

It produces both floating and submersed leaves on the same plant. The floating leaves are ovate to oblong-ovate and almost always cordate at the base. They are dark green, leathery, opaque, with translucent longitudinal veins. They are 5 to 10 cm long, pointed at the tips, and rounded at the base.

The stipules are 4 to 17 cm long.

The submerged grass-like structures are called phyllodes, are actually modified leaf stalks.

The stems are cylindrical, without many branches, and grow from 1 to 2 metres.

The main difference between this species and other pondweeds is a discoloured flexible joint just below the top of the long leaf stalk.

The flower spikes are dense, and cylindrical. They are 5 to 10 cm long, pointed at the tip and rounded at the base. It flowers from May to September.

The fruits are 4 to 5 mm long and obovate.[4]

References
  1. Gupta, A.K. (2013). "Potamogeton natans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. "Potamogeton natans". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  4. Rose, Francis (2006). The Wild Flower Key. Frederick Warne & Co. pp. 490–491. ISBN 978-0-7232-5175-0.
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