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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE STONECROP FAMILY | |||||||||
| The stonecrops are succulent herbs or shrubs that appear in nearly every region of the world, except for Australia and the Western Pacific islands. The leaves are opposite, alternate, or occasionally whorled. The inflorescences vary considerably within this family, from branched clusters to solitary flowers. The flowers are regular with three to five sepals and petals. The petals may be separate or fused. The stamens are equal in number to or twice as many as the petals. The ovary is made of four or five carpels that are not fused. The fruit type is usually a cluster of pods that open along one line. | |||||||||
| WATER PIGMYWEED | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Crassula aquatica | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Water pigmyweed grows 3 to 10 cm tall from fibrous roots. It is an aquatic or semi-aquatic annual with a thread-like stem. The leaves are opposite, fused at the base, and are usually fleshy succulent. The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils and are stalkless or short-stalked. The flowers are small and greenish-white. There are three or four stamens and an inferior ovary in each flower. The fruit is a cluster of pods that open along one line to release the seeds. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Water pigmyweed grows on pond margins in muddy soil. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant grows in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Mixed Grassland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| No information is available regarding the endangered status of water pigmyweed, though it is likely that this species is less common and regionally restricted and therefore more vulnerable to habitat loss and human development. It also may be easily overlooked due to its small size. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WATER PIGMYWEED | |||||||||
| * Are the flowers solitary? * Is the plant aquatic or semi-aquatic? * Are the leaves opposite and fleshy? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found water pigmyweed! | |||||||||
