Potamogeton epihydrus

Nuttall's ribbon-leaved pondweed, Nuttall's Ribbon-Leaved Pondweed

Family: Potamogetonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Nuttall's ribbon-leaved pondweed is a native perennial found in the northern Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and Mountain Provinces in shallow water environments including ponds, lakes, and streams at elevations of 400 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from July to August, this aquatic plant produces small, inconspicuous flowers along slender underwater stems. Growing with ribbon-like submersed leaves 5 to 25 centimeters long and 2 to 10 millimeters wide, it forms matted patches with compressed stems less than 170 centimeters tall. Its distinctive leaves feature a unique net-like band along the midrib, with submersed leaves linear and acute-tipped, while floating leaves are generally opposite and oblong to elliptic. The fruits are small, spherical to obovate, measuring 2.5 to 4.5 millimeters long with three distinct keels and concave sides.

Habitat: Shallow water, ponds, lakes, streams

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 400-1900 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, SNH, MP

California counties: Placer, Mendocino, Modoc, El Dorado, Merced, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Nevada

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