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| Ruppia maritima L. | Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| TAXONOMY | |||||||||
| Family: | Ruppiaceae | ||||||||
| Genus: | Ruppia | ||||||||
| Species Synonyms: | Ruppia maritima var. brevirostris
Agardh Ruppia maritima var. exiqua Fern. & Wieg. Ruppia maritima var. intermedia (Thed.) Aschers. & Graebn. Ruppia maritima var. longipes Hagstr. Ruppia maritima var. maritima L. Ruppia maritima var. obligua (Schur) Aschers. & Graebn. Ruppia maritima var. pacifica St. John & Fosberg Ruppia maritima var. rostrata Agardh Ruppia maritima var. subcapitata Fern. & Wieg. Ruppia pectinata Rydb. |
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| Common Names: | widgeongrass beaked ditchgrass |
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| DISTRIBUTION | |||||||||
| Canada: | southwestern British Columbia, southern Alberta – southern Saskatchewan – James Bay – eastern Quebec – Newfoundland – Nova Scotia | ||||||||
| Saskatchewan: | southern Saskatchewan; Seagrams Lake, Fusilier, St. Denis, Deadmoose Lake, Nitenai River Salt Marsh, Mortlach, Old Wives Lake | ||||||||
| Ecoregion: | Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Lowland | ||||||||
| HABITAT | |||||||||
| Saskatchewan: | quiet saline or alkaline lakes, ponds, or sloughs | ||||||||
| Canada: | tidal waters, saline pools, and ditches | ||||||||
| RARITY STATUS | |||||||||
| Provincial
Status According to Harms (2003): |
Threatened |
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| Nature Conservancy Status: | G5 |
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| Saskatchewan
Species at Risk Status: |
None |
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| COSEWIC Status: | None |
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| Widgeongrass is threatened because of rarity in Saskatchewan. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| SPECIES DESCRIPTION | |||||||||
| Growth Habit: | submersed aquatic herbs, annual or perennial | ||||||||
| Stems: | present, to 50 cm long, < 1 mm wide, thread-like, forking | ||||||||
| Leaves: | alternate, simple, sessile, scattered or slightly tufted, thread-like, submerged, 6 – 11 cm long, 0.2 – 0.5 mm wide; basal sheath not persisting longer than the blade, 5 – 15 mm long, tips rounded or obtuse | ||||||||
| Inflorescence: | spikes axillary, head-like in flower and umbrella-like in fruit, with bract; inflorescence stalk elongating and spiralling after fertilization, coils 0 – 3 | ||||||||
| Flowers: | minute, perfect, bractless; sepals and petals absent; stamens 2, distinct; carpels 4 – 6, distinct, ovary superior, style absent, stigma sessile | ||||||||
| Fruits: | single-seeded, 2 - 3 mm, slightly fleshy, brown to blackish | ||||||||
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