Stuckenia pectinata (syn. Potamogeton pectinatus), commonly called sago pondweed[1] or fennel pondweed, and sometimes called ribbon weed, is a cosmopolitan water plant species that grows in fresh and brackish water on all continents except Antarctica.
| Stuckenia pectinata | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Potamogetonaceae |
| Genus: | Stuckenia |
| Species: | S. pectinata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stuckenia pectinata (L.) Böerner
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Potamogeton pectinatus L. | |
Description
editStuckenia pectinata is a fully submerged aquatic plant and does not have any floating or emerged leaves.[2]
The flowers are wind pollinated and the seeds float. Tubers that are rich in starch are formed on the rhizomes. Reproduction can either be vegetative with tubers and plant fragments or sexual with seeds.[3]
Wildlife
editThe whole plant provides food for different species of waterbirds.[citation needed]
Description
edit-
Leaves with the typical zigzag-formed stem -
Tubers
Stuckenia pectinata has long narrow linear leaves which are less than 2 mm wide; each is composed of two slender, parallel tubes. 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, similar to a grass sheath and ligule. The fruits are 3 to 5 mm long.[4]
Ecology
editThe nutritious tubers are an important food source for waterfowl, including the canvasback, which help disperse the plant.[5]
The plant can become a nuisance weed in waterways such as canals, because it is tolerant to eutrophication.[6]
Gallery
edit
References
edit- ^ NRCS. "Stuckenia pectinata". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ "Stuckenia pectinata - Fennel Pondweed". www.flowersofindia.net. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
- ^ "Plant Reproduction". Let's Talk Science. 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
- ^ "Sago Pondweed (Stuckenia pectinata)". www.illinoiswildflowers.info. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
- ^ "Stuckenia pectinata in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
- ^ O’Hare, Matthew T.; Baattrup-Pedersen, Annette; Baumgarte, Inga; Freeman, Anna; Gunn, Iain D. M.; Lázár, Attila N.; Sinclair, Raeannon; Wade, Andrew J.; Bowes, Michael J. (2018-04-26). "Responses of Aquatic Plants to Eutrophication in Rivers: A Revised Conceptual Model". Frontiers in Plant Science. 9: 451. doi:10.3389/fpls.2018.00451. ISSN 1664-462X. PMC 5932201. PMID 29755484.