Potamogeton pulcher Tuck.

Spotted Pondweed; Heartleaf Pondweed

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Spotted Pondweed is a native herbaceous aquatic perennial in the Pondweed family (Potamogetonaceae). It is found throughout Alabama. Spotted Pondweed occurs in shallow water of ponds and lakes, in beaver ponds, in sluggish streams and rivers, and in canals. It is an aquatic species with rhizomes rooted in the mud. The stems are round in cross section and conspicuously spotted in dark purple. Leaves are both submersed and floating. Submersed leaves are petiolate, spirally arranged, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate in outline, dark green in color, with 7-19 veins and entire and crispate margins. Floating leaves are petiolate, lanceolate to round-ovate in outline, with 15-21 veins and entire margins. Flowers are produced in emersed terminal or axillary spikes. The spikes are cylindrical in outline. The fruit is a sessile, ovoid to obovoid, dark green or brown achene. The achene is keeled and laterally ridged with a short, erect beak. Spotted Pondweed is similar to and occurs in the same habitat as Large Leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton amplifolius Tuckerman). Large Leaf Pondweed is less common in Alabama and has ovate submersed leaves with more than 19 veins.—A. Diamond.

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Native OBL (NWPL)

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