Potamogeton gemmiparus — budding pondweed
![Plant form: Potamogeton gemmiparus. ~ By William and Linda Steere and the C.V. Starr Virtual Herbarium. ~ Copyright © 2024 William and Linda Steere and the C.V. Starr Virtual Herbarium. ~ Barbara Thiers, Director; bthiers[at]nybg.org ~ C.V. Starr Herbarium - NY Botanical Gardens](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Potamogetonaceae/potamogeton-gemmiparus-ha-cvstarr1.jpg)
![Leaves: Potamogeton gemmiparus. ~ By C. Barre Hellquist. ~ Copyright © 2024 C. Barre Hellquist. ~ C.Barre.Hellquist[at]mcla.edu ~ U. of New Hampshire](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Potamogetonaceae/potamogeton-gemmiparus-le-cbhellquist.jpg)
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Facts
Budding pondweed is an endemic pondweed with a restricted distribution within and near New England.
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.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- aquatic
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Leaf position
- the leaves are all submerged underwater
- Leaf arrangement
-
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- whorled: there are three or more leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade length
- 11–60 mm
- Petal or sepal number
- there are four petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Specific leaf type
- the leaf is not divided, rather the blade is made up of one segment
- Floating leaf shape
- NA
- Underwater leaf blade width
- 0.2–0.7 mm
- Fruit type (general)
-
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- the fruit is fleshy
- Underwater leaf length
- 11–60 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Turion length
- 9–32 mm
-
Flowers
- 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
- 3–6
- 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
- 1.5–10.1 mm
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Length of peduncle
- 10–35 mm
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 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 fringed edges
- the petals are not fringed
- Petal hairs on inner/upper surface
- there are no hairs on the inner/upper petal surface
- Petal number
- 4
- Petal or sepal number
- there are four petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Pistil number
- 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 to petals
- the stamens are fused near the bases of the petals or tepals
- Style number
- 4
-
Fruits or seeds
- Fruit beak length
- 0.1–0.6 mm
- Fruit length
- 1.5–2.2 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
- 1.2–1.6 mm
-
Glands or sap
- Oil glands on nodes
- at least some of the nodes have pairs of 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
- the plant has turions
- Underground organs
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
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
- NA
- Floating leaf blade width
- 0 mm
- Floating leaf length
- 0 mm
- Floating leaf shape
- NA
- Floating leaf tip
- NA
- Floral bract form
- NA
- Floral bract length
- 0 mm
- Leaf arrangement
-
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- whorled: there are three or more leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade length
- 11–60 mm
- Leaf blade veins
- the lateral veins radiate from the base and continue to spread away from the centerline of the leaf, or branch off the central vein at intervals
- Leaf blade width
- 0.2–0.7 mm
- Leaf position
- 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 delicate and translucent
- Stipule fused to leaf
- the stipules are not attached to the leaf blade at all
- 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 1442
- Underwater leaf air passage row number
- 1
- 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
- Underwater leaf blade width
- 0.2–0.7 mm
- Underwater leaf length
- 11–60 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)
- Veins in floating leaf
- 0
-
Place
- Habitat
- aquatic
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- 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)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Connecticut
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), threatened (code: T)
- Massachusetts
- rare (uncertain) (S-rank: S2?)
- New Hampshire
- historical (S-rank: SH), endangered (code: E)
- Rhode Island
- historical (S-rank: SH), state historical (code: SH)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
10. Potamogeton gemmiparus (J.W. Robbins) J.W. Robbins ex Morong NC
budding pondweed. Potamogeton berchtoldii Fieber ssp. gemmiparus (J.W. Robbins) K. Les & N.P. Tippery; P. pusillus L. ssp. gemmiparus (J.W. Robbins) Haynes & Hellquist; P. pusillus L. var. gemmiparus J.W. Robbins • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI; also reported from VT by Haynes and Hellquist (2000c), but specimens are unknown. Shallow, still or slow-moving, circumneutral water of lakes and rivers. Potamogeton gemmiparus is a near-endemic of New England; it also is known from nearby Quebec.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Potamogeton berchtoldii:
- leaf blades 0.2–2.5 mm wide, usually acute to obtuse at the apex, 3- or 5-nerved (vs. P. gemmiparus, with leaf blades 0.2–0.7 mm wide, acute at the apex, 1-veined).
- Potamogeton pusillus:
- leaf blades 0.2–2.5 mm wide, usually acute to obtuse at the apex, 3- or 5-nerved (vs. P. gemmiparus, with leaf blades 0.2–0.7 mm wide, acute at the apex, 1-veined).
Synonyms
- Potamogeton berchtoldii Fieber ssp. gemmiparus (J.W. Robbins) D. Les & N.P. Tippery
- Potamogeton pusillus L. ssp. gemmiparus (J.W. Robbins) Haynes & Hellquist
- Potamogeton pusillus L. var. gemmiparus J.W. Robbins