plant photo guide - Archibald Lake Association
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Archibald Lake Aquatic Plant Guide Photography and Preparation: Kevin Springob & Tom Winn
Transcript of plant photo guide - Archibald Lake Association
Archibald Lake Aquatic Plant Guide
Photography and Preparation: Kevin Springob & Tom Winn
Floating-‐leaf Plants
Watershield (Brasenia schreberi) Status: native Description: The leaf stalks attach to the middle of the leaves (4-‐12 cm long, 2-‐6 cm wide). Clear gelatinous slime coats the stems and undersides of the leaves and differentiates it from other floating-‐leaf plants. It grows in water ranging from very shallow depths to about 2 meters.
Floating-‐leaf Plants
Spatterdock (Nuphar variegata) Status: native Description: Leaves are heart-‐shaped (10-‐25 cm long). Most of the leaves float on the water’s surface. Flowers are yellow and saucer-‐shaped and often have a deep red patch at the base. Similar Species: Spatterdock can sometimes be confused with White water lily (Nymphaea odorata). White water lilies have round leaves, a reddish-‐purple underside and white flowers.
Floating-‐leaf Plants
White water lily (Nymphaea odorata) Status: native Description: The leaves are round (10-‐30 cm wide) and have a reddish-‐purple underside. White flowers (7-‐20 cm wide) float on the water’s surface. Similar Species: White water lilies can sometimes be confused with Spatterdock (Nuphar variegata). Spatterdock has heart-‐shaped leaves and yellow flowers.
Floating-‐leaf Plants
Floating-‐leaf pondweed (Potamogeton natans) Status: native Description: Submersed leaves (10-‐40 cm long, 1-‐2 mm wide), floating leaves (5-‐10 cm long, 2-‐4.5 cm wide) are heart-‐shaped at their base.
Submerged Plants
Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) Status: invasive Description: Eurasian watermilfoil has long stems (2 or more meters) that emerge from roots and rhizomes. Leaves are divided like a feather with about 12-‐20 pairs of leaflets. This plant is exotic and can be very invasive. The plant can have the appearance of reddish tips. Similar species: On Archibald Lake Eurasian watermilfoil will most commonly be confused with Northern watermilfoil (Myriophyllum sibiricum) and Coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum). Northern watermilfoil typically has 5-‐12 pairs of leaflets and tends to remain rigid when removed from the water. Eurasian watermilfoil leaflets tend to collapse when removed from the water. Coontail has leaves that are toothed and the plant feels rough when pulled through the hand.
12-‐20 leaflet pairs
Northern watermilfoil (native)
Eurasian watermilfoil (invasive)
Submerged Plants
Eurasian watermilfoil (continued) (Myriophyllum spicatum) Status: invasive
Dense mat of Eurasian watermilfoil on water surface
Submerged Plants
Northern watermilfoil (Myriophyllum sibiricum) Status: native Description: Leaves (1-‐5 cm long) are divided like a feather with about 5-‐12 pairs of leaflets. Similar species: Eurasian watermilfoil (see above) and Coontail (see below).
Submerged Plants
Coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) Status: native Description: Coontail has long, trailing stems that lack true roots. Leaves (1-‐3 cm) are forked with teeth along the margin. Similar species: Eurasian watermilfoil and Northern watermilfoil (see above).
Submerged Plants
Large-‐leaf pondweed (Potamogeton amplifolius) Status: native Description: Large-‐leaf pondweed has the broadest leaves of any pondweed in our region. Submerged leaves (3.5-‐7.2 cm wide) are arched and slightly folded. Floating leaves are oval (5-‐10 cm long, 2.5-‐5 cm wide).
Submerged Plants
Leafy pondweed (Potamogeton foliosus) Status: native Description: Narrow submersed leaves (1.5-‐8 cm long, 0.5-‐2 cm wide).
Submerged Plants
Variable pondweed (Potamogeton gramineus) Status: native Description: Leaves (3-‐8 cm long, 3-‐10 cm wide). Variable pondweed is one of the more common plants in Archibald Lake.
Submerged Plants
Illinois pondweed (Potamogeton illinoensis) Status: native Description: Leaves (8-‐20 cm long, 2-‐5 cm wide) with 9-‐19 veins and often have a sharp needle-‐like tip.
Submerged Plants
Sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) Status: native Description: Very thin leaves (3-‐10 cm long, 0.5-‐1.5 mm wide) resemble pine needles.
Submerged Plants
White-‐stem pondweed (Potamogeton praelongus) Status: native Description: Zigzag white stems and leaves (8-‐30 cm long, 1-‐4.5 cm wide).
Submerged Plants
Small pondweed (Potamogeton pusillus) Status: native Description: Slender stems branch repeatedly near the ends with narrow leaves (1-‐7cm long, 0.2-‐2.5 cm wide).
Submerged Plants
Clasping-‐leaf pondweed (Potamogeton richardsonii) Status: native Description: Leaves (3-‐12 cm long, 0.5-‐2 cm wide) clasp the stem of the plant.
Submerged Plants
Robbins pondweed (Potamogeton robbinsii) Status: native Description: Leaves (3-‐10 cm long, 3-‐8 mm wide) are arranged in a fern-‐like manner.
Submerged Plants
Flat-‐stem pondweed (Potamogeton zosteriformis) Status: native Description: Stems are strongly flattened with an angled appearance. Leaves (10-‐20 cm long, 2-‐5 mm wide).
Submerged Plants
Blunt-‐leaf pondweed (Potamogeton obtusifolius) Status: native Description: Leaves (3-‐8 cm long, 2-‐4 mm wide) have rounded tips.
Submerged Plants
Wild celery (Vallisneria americana) Status: native Description: Ribbon-‐like leaves (up to 2 m long, 3-‐10 mm wide) emerge in clusters along a creeping rhizome.
Submerged Plants
Water stargrass (Zosterella dubia) Status: native Description: Narrow leaves (up to 15 cm long, 2-‐6 mm wide)
Submerged Plants
Slender naiad (Najas flexilis) Status: native Description: Fine branched stems, leaves (1-‐4 cm long, 0.3-‐1 mm wide).
Submerged Plants
Southern naiad (Najas guadalupensis) Status: native Description: Fine branched stems, leaves (1-‐4 cm long, up to 2 mm wide).
Submerged Plants
Common waterweed (Elodea canadensis) Status: native Description: Small lance-‐shaped leaves (6-‐17 mm long, 1-‐5 mm wide).
Submerged Plants
Needle spikerush (Eleocharis acicularis) Status: native Description: Slender stems (up to 0.25 mm thick and 3-‐12 cm long).
Submerged Plants
Muskgrass (Chara spp.) Status: native Description: Multicellular algae that has a skunk-‐like smell.
Submerged Plants
Nitella (Nitella spp.) Status: native Description: Multicellular algae that looks similar to Muskgrass but it lacks the distinctive aroma.
Emergent Plants
Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus) Status: invasive Description: Linear leaves (1 m tall, 5-‐10 mm wide) that emerge from a stout rhizome. The leaves are triangular shaped and may be emergent or completely submersed. Similar species: Flowering rush can sometimes be confused with Softstem bulrush (Scirpus validus). Softstem bulrush has circular stems versus the triangular leaves of Flowering rush.
Emergent Plants
Softstem bulrush (Scirpus validus) Status: native Description: Tall flexible stems (1-‐3 m tall, 1-‐1.5 cm wide) emerge from a shallow rhizome. The stems are spongy when pressed between your fingers.
Emergent Plants
Broad-‐leaved cattail (Typha latifolia) Status: native Description: Broad-‐leaved cattail has pale green sword-‐like leaves (1 or more m tall, 10-‐23 mm wide)
