Elatine americana

Herbs, submersed, 1.5–5 cm. Stems ascending or prostrate, branched. Leaves green; stipules lanceolate, 0.5–0.6 mm, margins dentate, apex acute; petiole 0.5–3 mm; blade obovate to broadly spatulate, 3–8 × 0.5–3.5 mm, base attenuate or cuneate, apex rounded to shallowly emarginate. Pedicels to 0.1 mm, erect. Flowers cleistogamous when submersed; sepals (2–)3, equal or 1 reduced, oblong-ovate or widely lanceolate, 0.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm; petals 3, greenish white or pinkish white to reddish, elliptic or ovate, 0.6–1.2 × 0.5 mm; stamens 3; styles 3. Capsules oblong-ovoid, 3-locular, 1.5 mm diam. Seeds 9–12 per locule, slenderly cylindric, ± straight, 0.4–0.6 × (0.1–)0.2 mm; pits angular-hexagonal, length 2–3 times width, in 6(–8) rows, (13–)16–25(–30) per row. 2n = 36.

Phenology: Flowering summer–early fall.
Habitat: Muddy shorelines including estuaries, in water to 50 cm deep.
Elevation: 0–300(–900) m.

Distribution

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• Legacy Map

Man., N.B., N.W.T., Ont., Que., Calif., Conn., Del., Ill., Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Okla., Pa., R.I., S.Dak., Va.

Discussion

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.