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| Ruppia cirrhosa (Petag.) Grande | Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| TAXONOMY | |||||||||
| Family: | Ruppiaceae | ||||||||
| Genus: | Ruppia | ||||||||
| Species Synonyms: | Ruppia cirrhosa ssp. occidentalis
(S. Wats.) A.&D. Löve Ruppia maritima var. occidentalis (S. Wats.) Graebn. Ruppia maritima var. spiralis Morris Ruppia occidentalis S. Wats. Ruppia spiralis L. ex Dumort. |
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| Common Names: | western ditchgrass widgeongrass |
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| DISTRIBUTION | |||||||||
| Canada: | British Columbia – southern Alberta – southern Saskatchewan – southern Manitoba | ||||||||
| Saskatchewan: | southern and central Saskatchewan; Turtle Lake – southwestern Prince Albert National Park – Qu’Appelle River Valley – Moose Mountain | ||||||||
| Ecoregion: | Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland | ||||||||
| HABITAT | |||||||||
| Saskatchewan: | submersed in quiet, often saline or alkaline lakes, ponds or sloughs | ||||||||
| Associated Species: | Sago pondweed | ||||||||
| RARITY STATUS | |||||||||
| Provincial
Status According to Harms (2003): |
Vulnerable |
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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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| Western ditchgrass is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. This species is likely commonly overlooked because of its aquatic habit and similarities to some of the pondweed species. | |||||||||
| SPECIES DESCRIPTION | |||||||||
| Growth Habit: | submersed aquatic herbs, annual or perennial | ||||||||
| Stems: | present, to 55 cm long, 0.1 – 0.3 mm wide, thread-like | ||||||||
| Leaves: | alternate or opposite, simple, sessile, often in fan-like clusters, linear, submerged, 3 – 35 cm long, 0.2 – 0.5 mm wide; basal sheath not persisting longer than the blade, 18 – 30 mm long | ||||||||
| Inflorescence: | spikes terminal, head-like in flower and umbrella-like in fruit, with large bract; inflorescence stalk elongating and spiralling after fertilization, 30 – 300 cm long, coils 5 - 30 | ||||||||
| Flowers: | perfect, bracts absent; sepals and petals absent; stamens 2, distinct; carpels 4 – 6, distinct, ovary superior, style absent, stigma sessile | ||||||||
| Fruits: | 3 mm or longer, slightly fleshy, olive colour, dotted with red | ||||||||
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