Najas flexilis

Slender water-nymph, Slender Water-Nymph

Family: Hydrocharitaceae · Type: annual · Native

Slender water-nymph is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges and northern coastal ranges in ponds and lakes at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from June to September, this delicate aquatic plant produces small, inconspicuous flowers with distinctive leaf margins. Growing as a monoecious underwater plant with slender stems, it has fine, translucent leaves with 35 to 80 tiny teeth along each margin. Its leaves have an acute tip with 1 to 2 additional small teeth and a rounded leaf sheath, creating a delicate, intricate underwater structure. The tiny seeds are 0.2 to 1.2 millimeters wide, with a smooth and shiny coat that aids in dispersal through aquatic environments.

Habitat: Uncommon. Ponds, lakes

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: < 1500 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRI, expected elsewhere

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