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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: | Stuckenia pectinata | ||||||||
| 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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| Ruppia cirrhosa 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 Potamogeton species. | |||||||||
| SPECIES DESCRIPTION | |||||||||
| Growth Habit: | submersed aquatic herbs, annual or perennial | ||||||||
| Stems: | present, to 55 cm long, 0.1 – 0.3 mm wide, filiform | ||||||||
| 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, capitate in flowers and umbelliform in fruit, with spathe; peduncle elongating and spiralling after fertilization, 30 – 300 cm long, coils 5 - 30 | ||||||||
| Flowers: | perfect, ebracteate; calyx and corolla absent; stamens 2, distinct; carpels 4 - 6, distinct, ovary superior, style absent, stigma sessile | ||||||||
| Fruits: | drupe 3 mm or longer, slightly fleshy, olivaceous, dotted with red | ||||||||
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