Potamogeton pectinatus
Encyclopedia
Stuckenia pectinata commonly called fennel pondweed or sago pondweed, and sometimes called ribbon weed.
It is a cosmopolitan water plant species that grows in fresh and brackish water on all continents except Antarctica.
and does not have any floating or emerged leaves.
The flowers are wind pollinated and the seeds float. Tuber
s that are rich in starch, are formed on the rhizomes. Reproduction can either be vegetative
with tubers and plant fragments or sexual with seeds.
The main difference from other narrow-leaved pondweeds is that the stipule
joins the leaf base, when it is pulled the sheath and stipule comes away, much like a grass sheath and ligule
.
The fruits are 3 to 5 mm long.
, which help disperse
the plant.
The plant can become a nuisance weed in waterways such as canals.
It is a cosmopolitan water plant species that grows in fresh and brackish water on all continents except Antarctica.
Description
Stuckenia pectinata is a fully submerged aquatic plantAquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...
and does not have any floating or emerged leaves.
The flowers are wind pollinated and the seeds float. Tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
s that are rich in starch, are formed on the rhizomes. Reproduction can either be vegetative
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is a process by which new individuals arise without production of seeds or spores...
with tubers and plant fragments or sexual with seeds.
Description
Stuckenia pectinata has long narrow linear leaves which are less than 2 mm wide; each is composed of 2 slender parallel tubes.The main difference from other narrow-leaved pondweeds is that the stipule
Stipule
In botany, stipule is a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk...
joins the leaf base, when it is pulled the sheath and stipule comes away, much like a grass sheath and ligule
Ligule
A ligule — is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses and sedges or a strap-shaped corolla, such as that of a ray floret in plants in the daisy family....
.
The fruits are 3 to 5 mm long.
Ecology
The nutritious tubers are an important food source for ducks in North America, including the CanvasbackCanvasback
The Canvasback is the largest of the North American diving ducks, that ranges from between long and weighs approximately , with a wingspan of . The canvasback has a distinctive wedge-shaped head and long graceful neck. The adult male has a black bill, a chestnut red head and neck, a black...
, which help disperse
Biological dispersal
Biological dispersal refers to species movement away from an existing population or away from the parent organism. Through simply moving from one habitat patch to another, the dispersal of an individual has consequences not only for individual fitness, but also for population dynamics, population...
the plant.
The plant can become a nuisance weed in waterways such as canals.