Isoetes hieroglyphica — carved quillwort
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
Carved quillwort is found mainly in the eastern half of Canada. It is very rare in New England, where it is known only from cold, clear water of lakes and slow-moving streams on gravel or cobble.
Habitat
Lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), riverine (in rivers or streams)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- aquatic
- New England state
- Maine
- Leaf shape
- the vegetative leaves are long and narrow
- Spore leaf arrangement
- the sporophylls are located in a whorl at the base of the plant
- Form of shoot
- NA
- Horizontal stem
- NA
- Leaf differences
- the vegetative leaves within a node are all similar in size and shape
- Teeth on leaf edges
- the edges of the vegetative leaves have no teeth
- Spore leaf length
- Up to 250 mm
- Leaf outline
- the vegetative leaves are long and very narrow (linear)
-
Clonal plantlets
- Gemma arrangement
- NA
- Gemma shape
- NA
- Gemma width
- 0 mm
-
Leaves
- Leaf differences
- the vegetative leaves within a node are all similar in size and shape
- Leaf length
- Up to 250 mm
- Leaf orientation
-
- the vegetative leaves spread away from the stem
- the vegetative leaves spread slightly away from the stem, at a steep angle
- Leaf outline
- the vegetative leaves are long and very narrow (linear)
- Leaf ranks
- NA
- Leaf shape
- the vegetative leaves are long and narrow
- Pores on leaves
- there are no apparent pores on the vegetative leaves
- Spore leaf length
- Up to 250 mm
- Teeth on leaf edges
- the edges of the vegetative leaves have no teeth
-
Place
- Habitat
- aquatic
- New England state
- Maine
- Specific habitat
-
- in lakes or ponds
- in rivers or streams
-
Spores or spore cones
- Cone base at stem
- NA
- Cone stalk branching
- NA
- Cone thickness
- 0 mm
- Cone width
- 0 mm
- Length of cone
- 0 mm
- Number of cones
- 0
- Quillwort itssue covering spores
- the velum covers less than half of the spores
- Same or different spores
- there are two different types of spores present
- Spore diameter
- 0.55–0.7
- Spore girdle
- there is a smooth girdle alongside the equatorial ridge
- Spore leaf arrangement
- the sporophylls are located in a whorl at the base of the plant
- Spore leaf lifespan
- the sporophylls remain green for the life of the plant
- Spore leaf orientation
- the sporophylls slant upwards at a steep angle
- Spore leaf shape
- the spore-bearing leaves are long and narrow
- Spore leaf teeth
- The edges of the spore-bearing leaves are smooth, and without teeth
- Spore texture
- the spore surface has a net-like pattern on it (reticulate)
- Sporophyll ranks
- NA
- Sterile tip of cone
- NA
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Branch cross-section
- NA
- Branch form
- NA
- Constriction zones
-
- NA
- NA
- Form of shoot
- NA
- Horizontal stem
- NA
- Horizontal stem length
- 0 mm
- Horizontal stem thickness
- 0 mm
- Stem height
- 0 mm
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
None
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
4. Isoetes hieroglyphica A.A. Eat. NC
carved quillwort. Isoetes lacustris L. forma hieroglyphica (A.A. Eat.) N.E. Pfeiff. • ME; most collections from the northern portion of ME. Cold, clear water of lakes and slow-moving streams with gravel and cobble substrate.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Isoetes acadiensis:
- megaspores megaspores 0.4–0.65 mm in diameter, averaging less than 0.6 mm, and leaves gradually tapering to the tip (vs. I. hieroglyphica, with megaspores 0.55–0.7 mm in diameter, averaging more than 0.6 mm, and leaves abruptly tapering to the tip).
- Isoetes lacustris:
- megaspores with a papillate girdle, cristate to reticulate with sharp or roughened crests (vs. I. hieroglyphica, with megaspores with a smooth girdle, reticulate with low, rounded ridges).
Synonyms
- Isoetes lacustris L. forma hieroglyphica (A.A. Eat.) N.E. Pfeiff.