Callitriche palustris - (image 1 of 3)
Taxonomy
Family: Plantaginaceae
Habitat
Quiet water of rivers, lakes, ponds, pools.
Associates
Distribution
Circumboreal; in North America south to WV, NE, TX, and CA. Also occurs in South America
Morphology
Annual; stems loosely clustered, 10-20 cm, rooting at the lower nodes, mostly submerged but with the shoot-tips floating, sometimes stranded in mud and completely emersed, rarely completely submersed; submersed leaves linear, 5-15 mm; floating or emersed leaves spatulate to obovate, to 5 mm wide, triplinerved; fruit sessile, obovate, 1-1.4 mm, somewhat longer than wide, the margins winged or at least sharp-edged on each side of the commissural groove toward the summit.
Notes
Flowers mid June to early October
Wetland indicator: OBL
This species and C. heterophylla are the two species most likely to be encountered in NY. Callitriche heterophylla lacks winged margins on the fruit and also the commissural groove between the wings. It also tends to have more variable leaves.
References
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
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© Michael Hough 2018 |