aquatic

Found IN the water of streams or ponds

Showing all 11 results

  • Chara contraria / Chara

    • plant-like rooted aquatic alga
    • green "stem" with whorls of green "leaves"
    • rough feeling due to carbonate encrustations
    • river bottom but other waters, including stock tanks

  • Elodea canadensis / Elodea

    • submerged with a stem and whorls of small, oblong leaves
    • usually has 3 leaves per node
    • leaf whorls denser near the growing tips
    • stems may be quite long or floating as fragmented bits

  • Hippuris vulgaris / common mare’s tail

    • two possible forms - emergent and submerged
    • submerged looks like a tail... thick with whorls of long-ish leaves
    • emergent looks like Equisetum gone wild... whorls of many leaves
    • both forms may be present
    • mostly in river backwaters or small streams running through the fen

  • Nasturtium officinale / watercress

    • emergent aquatic in slow-ish flowing steams
    • four petaled white flowers in clusters
    • thick, shiny leaves
    • often in dense colonies

  • Persicaria amphibia / water smartweed

    • shocking pink flower clusters
    • oval, leathery leaves
    • either submerged or on stream or pond banks

  • Potamogeton richardsonii / Richardson’s pondweed

    • submerged aquatic with emergent inflorescence
    • crinkly, broad-ish leaves which clasp the stem
    • variable length internodes
    • often tangled up with sago pondweed

  • Ranunculus aquatilis / common water crowfoot

    • found in slowly flowing water ways, ditches, ponds
    • white, waxy flowers with yellow centers; 4 or 5 petals
    • flowers raised a couple inches above the water surface
    • usually grows in dense mats that look a lot like slime

  • Spyrogira spp./ green slime

    • unbranched, filamentous green alga
    • usually as slimy patches or long "tresses"
    • anchors to pondweed by entanglement
    • prefers the more nutrient rich waters drained from pastures

  • Stuckenia pectinata / sago pondweed

    • submerged aquatic - dominant in its habitat
    • grass-like (but not a grass); waves in the current
    • branched with ~5" pointed leaves

  • Utricularia macrorhiza / common bladderwort

    • free-floating aquatic perennial; only the flowers are above water
    • yellow, snap-dragon-like flowers; up to 20 per stalk; ca. 1" across
    • very fine "leaves" underwater, supported by small (1/8") bladders
    • carnivorous and/or symbiotic - bladders capture/digest v. small animals, harbor symbionts

  • Veronica anagallis-aquatica / blue water speedwell

    • small blue to mauve or lavender flowers; 4 petals
    • many flowers per stalk, but only a few blooming at once
    • opposite leaves tightly clasping the stems
    • in standing water or slowly moving streams

Showing all 11 results