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• Potamogetonaceae
• Potamogeton
• Potamogeton spirillus

Potamogeton spirillus — northern snail-seed pondweed

Facts

Northern snail-seed pondweed is a Northeastern endemic, but common through most of New England. The name refers to the seed's embryo, coiled more than one full turn. The part of the stipule that is fused to the leaf blade is equal to or longer than the distinct part.

Habitat

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

Characteristics

• Clonal plantlets

  Turion length

  0 mm

• Flowers

  Anther color

  there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers

  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

  1–35

  Flower position

  • the flowers are above the surface of the water
  • the flowers are below 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

  2–13 mm

  Inflorescence type

  the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)

  Inflorescence width

  1.3–2.2 mm

  Length of flower stalk

  0 mm

  Length of peduncle

  0.5–27 mm

  Nectar spur

  the flower has no nectar spurs

  Number of carpels

  1–4

  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 color

  green

  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 length

  0.5–1 mm

  Petal number

  4

  Petal or sepal number

  there are four petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower

  Pistil number

  • 1
  • 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

  the stamens are not fused to one another

  Stamens fused to petals

  the stamens are fused near the bases of the petals or tepals

  Style number

  0–4

• Fruits or seeds

  Fruit beak length

  0 mm

  Fruit length

  4–13 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

  1.3–2.4 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

  no

  Floating leaf blade width

  2–13 mm

  Floating leaf length

  7–35 mm

  Floating leaf shape

  • the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
  • the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
  • the leaf blade is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)

  Floating leaf tip

  • the tip of the floating leaf blade is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
  • the tip of the floating leaf blade is rounded, with no point

  Floral bract form

  NA

  Floral bract length

  0 mm

  Leaf arrangement

  alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem

  Leaf blade length

  7–80 mm

  Leaf blade veins

  the lateral veins are parallel or slightly arched in the direction of the tip

  Leaf blade width

  0.5–13 mm

  Leaf position

  • some of the leaves are floating at the surface of the water
  • 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 attached to the leaf blade for some part of their length

  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 1440

  Underwater leaf air passage relative width

  At least 1441

  Underwater leaf air passage row number

  2–3

  Underwater leaf blade edges

  the underwater leaf has smooth edges, without teeth

  Underwater leaf blade shape

  the underwater leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)

  Underwater leaf blade veins

  1–3

  Underwater leaf blade width

  0.5–2 mm

  Underwater leaf length

  8–80 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

  5–15

• Place

  Habitat

  aquatic

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • 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

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae