Isoetes echinospora

Spiny spored quillwort

Family: Isoetaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Spiny spored quillwort is a California native perennial found in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains and Klamath Ranges in persistent lakes and pools at elevations above 1,500 meters. This aquatic plant remains submerged, producing bright green, soft, and flexible leaves less than 20 centimeters long with white to brownish bases that taper to delicate tips. Growing completely underwater, the quillwort develops distinctive sporangia with membranes covering less than half their surface and features remarkably different male and female spores. Its female spores are particularly notable, measuring 0.4 to 0.5 millimeters and covered with tiny prickles that give the species its distinctive name. The plant maintains a perennial presence in its aquatic habitat, with leaves that remain almost evergreen throughout its growing cycle.

Habitat: Persistent lakes, pools

Elevation: > 1500 m

Bioregions: KR, n SNH

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.