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| Elodea canadensis Michx. | Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| TAXONOMY | |||||||||
| Family: | Hydrocharitaceae | ||||||||
| Genus: | Elodea | ||||||||
| Species Synonyms: | Anacharis canadensis (Michx.) Planch. Anacharis canadensis var. planchonii (Caspary) Victorin Elodea brandegeeae St. John Elodea ioensis Wylie Elodea linearis (Rydb.) St. John Elodea planchonii Caspary Philotria canadensis (Michx.) Britt. Philotria linearis Rydb. |
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| Common Names: | Canada waterweed broad waterweed |
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| DISTRIBUTION | |||||||||
| Canada: | central to southern British Columbia, east-central and southeastern Saskatchewan – Manitoba – Ontario – southern Quebec – Nova Scotia | ||||||||
| Saskatchewan: | east-central and southeastern Saskatchewan; La Ronge – Cumberland House, Goodwater – Carievale | ||||||||
| Ecoregion: | Mixed Grassland, Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Lowland, Mid-Boreal Upland, Churchill River Upland | ||||||||
| HABITAT | |||||||||
| Saskatchewan: | submersed aquatic in quiet, shallow waters | ||||||||
| Associated Species: | arrowhead, fineleaf pondweed, greater bladderwort, hardstem bulrush, Richardson’s pondweed, small pondweed, spike watermilfoil | ||||||||
| RARITY STATUS | |||||||||
| Provincial
Status According to Harms (2003): |
Vulnerable |
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| Nature Conservancy Status: | G5 S1 |
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| Saskatchewan
Species at Risk Status: |
None |
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| COSEWIC Status: | None |
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| Canada waterweed is vulnerable in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon. It occurs in a relatively large range in the province but the local population sizes vary. No immediate threats are known for this species. | |||||||||
| SPECIES DESCRIPTION | |||||||||
| Roots: | fibrous | ||||||||
| Stems: | perennial, slender creeping or erect, rooted in substrate, 30 – 100 cm long, simple or abundantly branched | ||||||||
| Leaves: | lower leaves opposite or whorled, middle leaves in whorls of 3, spreading or recurved, 5 – 15 mm long, 1.5 – 3 mm wide, linear to oval, flat, terminal leaves crowded, limp, minutely saw-toothed | ||||||||
| Inflorescence: | solitary, sessile, male and female inflorescences on separate plants; male flower bract 1 – 1.5 cm long, appearing stalked, inflated, tip two-lobed; female flower bract 1 – 2 cm long, cylindrical, tip two-lobed | ||||||||
| Flowers: | unisexual, usually projected to surface of water by elongate floral tube, sessile; petals 3 white; male flowers several, perianth floating, sepals dark striate, stamens 9, all filaments fused forming a column, pollen in tetrads; female flowers with a unilocular ovary, strap-shaped sterile stamens 3, styles 3, hypanthium elongate and thread-like | ||||||||
| Fruits: | capsule 6 mm long, ovoid to ellipsoid, opening irregularly; seeds several, spindle-shaped, hairless | ||||||||
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