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| Najas flexilis (Willd.) Rostk. & Schmidt | Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| TAXONOMY | |||||||
| Family: | Najadaceae | ||||||
| Genus: | Najas | ||||||
| Species Synonyms: | Najas caespitosa (Maguire) Reveal Najas flexilis var. congesta Farw. Najas flexilis var. robusta Morong Najas flexilis ssp. caespitosa Maguire Caulinia flexilis Willd. |
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| Common Names: | nodding waternymph slender niad wavy waternymph flexible naiad |
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| DISTRIBUTION | |||||||
| Canada: | Mackenzie District – British Columbia – Alberta – central Saskatchewan, southeastern Manitoba – Ontario – Quebec – Nova Scotia – Newfoundland | ||||||
| Saskatchewan: | central Saskatchewan; Big Sandy Lake – Prince Albert National Park – Pike Lake | ||||||
| Ecoregion: | Moist Mixed Grassland, Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Lowland, Mid-Boreal Upland, Churchill River Upland | ||||||
| HABITAT | |||||||
| Saskatchewan: | submersed aquatics in shallow waters of ponds, protected lake bays, and quiet streams | ||||||
| Associated species: | Chara sp., Potamogeton richardsonii, Stuckenia pectinatus | ||||||
| RARITY STATUS | |||||||
| Provincial
Status According to Harms (2003): |
Threatened |
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| Nature Conservancy Status: | G5 S2 |
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| Saskatchewan
Species at Risk Status: |
None |
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| COSEWIC Status: | None |
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| Najas flexilis is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon. It is only somewhat regionally restricted but local populations tend to be small. Because of its aquatic nature, this plant may be frequently overlooked and underreported. No threats are known or anticipated at this time. | |||||||
| SPECIES DESCRIPTION | |||||||
| Length: | 5 – 30 cm | ||||||
| Roots: | fibrous | ||||||
| Stems: | densely tufted, branching, long, slender, anchored by roots | ||||||
| Leaves: | clustered at stem tips, 1 – 3 cm long, 0.2 – 0.8 mm wide, linear, apex attenuate, flaccid, pale green, margins minutely toothed | ||||||
| Inflorescence: | monoecious; flowers solitary in leaf axils | ||||||
| Flowers: | staminate flowers with sepals connate into bilabiate tube, anthers 1 with 2 or 4 pollen sacs and enclosed in a membranous envelope; pistillate flowers sessile, with sepals absent, pistil single and 1-ovuled, stigmas 2 – 4 | ||||||
| Fruits: | achenes olive-green to reddish, style persistent; seeds 2.5 – 3 mm long, shiny, faintly reticulate, with 30 – 40 rows of pits across the middle | ||||||
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