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Potamogeton foliosus

Raf.

Leafy Pondweed

G5Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.150233
Element CodePMPOT030B0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderNajadales
FamilyPotamogetonaceae
GenusPotamogeton
Other Common Names
leafy pondweed (EN) Potamot feuillé (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
Two subspecies of Potamogeton foliosus recognized by Kartesz (1999), ssp. fibrillosus and ssp. foliosus; these have sometimes been treated as varieties, as by Kartesz (1994).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-11-04
Change Date1985-11-13
Edition Date2024-11-04
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Potamogeton foliosus is a perennial aquatic forb occurring in a wide variety of aquatic habitats of North America, Mexico, and Central America. There are over 600 occurrences of this taxon, which are threatened by development, water diversion and alteration of hydrology, erosion, pollution, recreational activities, invasive species, climate change, and other threats in some places. Little is known about threats or trends, but with a large range extent, high number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, Potamogeton foliosus is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Potamogeton foliosus occurs in North America south through Mexico and Central America (FNA 2000). In North America, it is found in Alaska and the Northwest Territories throughout southern Canada and the United States. Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024). See individual entries for distribution details about the two subspecies.
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be over 600 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats to Potamogeton foliosus are not widely documented, but include grazing by non-native carp, recreation, rights-of-way construction, development, alteration of hydrology, likely other threats in some places (Les 2020, NatureServe 2025). Populations have also disappeared in some places which have experienced heavy turbidity (Les 2020).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Potamogeton foliosus occurs in "calm to lotic, tidal or non-tidal brooks (muddy), canals (drainage, irrigation), channels (river), depressions, ditches (dredged, irrigation, roadside), floodplains, gravel bars, gravel pits, lagoons (spring-fed), lakes, marshes (vernal), mudflats, oxbows, ponds (beaver, fish hatchery, hydrothermal, livestock, ornamental, prairie, roadside, siltation, spring-fed, strip mine), pools (dune, intermittent, isolated, spring-fed, vernal), potholes, reservoirs, rice fields, rivers, sand pits, seeps, sinkholes, sloughs, sluiceways, springs (hot [e.g., 30°C]), streams (intermittent, shallow, sluggish, spring-fed, swift), swales, troughs (water), and washes (rocky, sandy) at elevations to 3472 m" (Les 2020). This species occurs primarily in shallow waters but has been observed at depths of 4.3 to 14.0 m. It tolerates a broad range of substrates, including clay, gravel, and mud, and prefers alkaline waters with a pH of 6.5 to 9.8. It is often associated with nutrient-rich environments and places with fluctuating water levels.

Reproduction

Fruits are primarily dispersed by water and likely by waterfowl (Les 2020).
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS4Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
ManitobaS3Yes
OntarioS5Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
QuebecSNRYes
Yukon TerritoryS4Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS3Yes
AlbertaS4Yes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
LabradorSNRYes
Island of NewfoundlandS1Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MichiganSNRYes
WyomingS3Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
VermontS5Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
HawaiiSNRYes
OregonSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
AlaskaSNRYes
IdahoSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
NevadaS3Yes
UtahSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
North DakotaSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
New YorkSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
West VirginiaS4Yes
ArizonaSNRYes
MontanaSNRYes
TexasS4Yes
WashingtonSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
IowaS4Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
IllinoisS3Yes
DelawareS4Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
ColoradoS3Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
VirginiaS4Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
MarylandS2Yes
KentuckySNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
KansasSNRYes
North CarolinaS2Yes
LouisianaSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownUnknownUnknown
7.2 - Dams & water management/useUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1.2 - Named speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown
9 - PollutionUnknownUnknownUnknown
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluentsUnknownUnknownUnknown
9.3.2 - Soil erosion, sedimentationUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL, PERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (5)
California (3)
AreaForestAcres
Middle YubaTahoe National Forest7,379
San Gabriel AddAngeles National Forest2,527
WestforkAngeles National Forest4,407
Montana (2)
AreaForestAcres
Cabinet Face East #671Kootenai National Forest50,326
Scotchman Peaks (MT)Kootenai National Forest53,909
References (6)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2000. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 22. Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in part), and Zingiberidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 352 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Les, D. 2020. Aquatic Monocotyledons of North America: Ecology, Life History, and Systematics. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 568 pp.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).