Potamogeton berchtoldii

Narrow leaved pondweed

Family: Potamogetonaceae · Type: annual · Native

Narrow leaved pondweed is a native aquatic plant found in coastal, northern California, Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada foothills, Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, southern Coast Ranges, and Great Basin regions in shallow, cold, and acidic lakes and ponds at elevations below 2,100 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces small, inconspicuous greenish-brown flowers in compact whorls. Growing as a slender submersed annual with stems up to 80 centimeters long, it develops delicate branching stems with distinct nodal glands. Its narrow, translucent leaves are sessile, less than 6 centimeters long and typically narrower than 1.5 millimeters, with acute to obtuse tips and 1 to 3 subtle veins. The plant forms winter buds and produces small fruits with asymmetric tips and convex sides, adapted to its aquatic environment.

Habitat: Uncommon. Shallow water, mostly cold, acidic lakes, ponds

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: < 2100 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, n SNF, SNH, SnJV, SCoRO, SnBr, GB

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