Red Pondweed

Potamogeton alpinus Balbis

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Class
Monocotyledoneae (Monocots)
Family
Potamogetonaceae (Pondweed Family)
State Protection
Threatened
Listed as Threatened by New York State: likely to become Endangered in the foreseeable future. For animals, taking, importation, transportation, or possession is prohibited, except under license or permit. For plants, removal or damage without the consent of the landowner is prohibited.
Federal Protection
Not Listed
State Conservation Status Rank
S1S2
Critically Imperiled or Imperiled in New York - Especially or very vulnerable to disappearing from New York due to rarity or other factors; typically 20 or fewer populations or locations in New York, very few individuals, very restricted range, few remaining acres (or miles of stream), and/or steep declines. More information is needed to assign either S1 or S2.
Global Conservation Status Rank
G5
Secure globally - Common in the world; widespread and abundant (but may be rare in some parts of its range).
Contents
  1. Summary
  2. Conservation and Management
  3. Habitat
  4. Range
  5. Identification Comments
  6. Taxonomy
  7. Additional Resources
  8. About This Guide

Summary

State Ranking Justification

There are 7 verified occurrences, 17 historical occurrences.

Conservation and Management

Threats

Pollution may threaten the species in Lake George.

Habitat

Habitat

In New York, Potamogeton alpinus has been found shallow water near the shore of cold lakes, streams, and slow-moving rivers (New York Natural Heritage Program 2011). Moderately to strongly alkaline waters (Crow and Hellquist 2000). Ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams (FNA 2000).

Associated Ecological Communities

  • Confined river* (guide)
    The aquatic community of relatively large, fast flowing sections of streams with a moderate to gentle gradient.
  • Mesotrophic dimictic lake* (guide)
    The aquatic community of a lake that is intermediate between an oligotrophic lake and a eutrophic lake. These lakes are dimictic: they have two periods of mixing or turnover (spring and fall); they are thermally stratified in the summer, and they freeze over and become inversely stratified in the winter.
  • Oligotrophic dimictic lake (guide)
    The aquatic community of a nutrient-poor lake that typically occurs in a deep, steeply-banked basin. These lakes are dimictic: they have two periods of mixing or turnover (spring and fall), they are thermally stratified in the summer, and they freeze over and become inversely stratified in the winter.
  • Oligotrophic pond* (guide)
    The aquatic community of a small, shallow, nutrient-poor pond. The water is very clear, and the bottom is usually sandy or rocky.
  • Oxbow lake/pond* (guide)
    The aquatic community of a small, shallow, usually stagnant lake or pond of fluvial origin that occurs in an old river meander or oxbow that has been cut off from an unconfined river or marsh headwater stream by deposition of a levee. Typically, the associated river periodically overflows this levee, restoring river water and biota to this lake type.
  • Unconfined river* (guide)
    The aquatic community of large, quiet, base level sections of streams with a very low gradient.

* probable association but not confirmed.

Associated Species

  • Chara
  • Eriocaulon aquaticum (northern pipewort, northern hat-pins)
  • Nuphar variegata (common yellow pond-lily, common spatter-dock)
  • Nymphaea odorata
  • Pontederia cordata (pickerelweed)
  • Potamogeton epihydrus (ribbon-leaved pondweed)
  • Potamogeton gramineus (grass-leaved pondweed)
  • Potamogeton perfoliatus (clasping-leaved pondweed)
  • Potamogeton zosteriformis (flat-stemmed pondweed)
  • Sagittaria cuneata (northern arrowhead)
  • Sparganium
  • Vallisneria americana (water-celery, tape-grass)

Range

New York State Distribution

New York is near the southern edge of the range.

Identification Comments

Identifying Characteristics

LEAVES SESSILE, TAWNY OLIVE COLOR, RED MIDVEIN

Best Time to See

It is best to survey for Northern Pondweed from late August through September, when it is in fruit.

  • Vegetative
  • Fruiting

The time of year you would expect to find Red Pondweed vegetative and fruiting in New York.

Taxonomy

Red Pondweed
Potamogeton alpinus Balbis

  • Kingdom Plantae
    • Phylum Anthophyta
      • Class Monocotyledoneae (Monocots)
        • Order Najadales
          • Family Potamogetonaceae (Pondweed Family)

Additional Common Names

  • Pondweed

Synonyms

  • Potamogeton alpinus var. tenuifolius (Raf.) Ogden
  • Potamogeton alpinus var. subellipticus (Fernald) Ogden

Additional Resources

References

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp.

Hellquist, C.B. and G.E. Crow 1980. Aquatic Vascular Plants of New England: Part 1. Zosteraceae, Potamogetonaceae, Zannichelliaceae, Najadaceae. New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station University of New Hampshire. Station Bull. 515.

Holmgren, Noel. 1998. The Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.

House, Homer D. 1924. Annotated list of the ferns and flowering plants of New York State. New York State Museum Bulletin 254:1-758.

Mitchell, Richard S. and Gordon C. Tucker. 1997. Revised Checklist of New York State Plants. Contributions to a Flora of New York State. Checklist IV. Bulletin No. 490. New York State Museum. Albany, NY. 400 pp.

New York Natural Heritage Program. 2023. New York Natural Heritage Program Databases. Albany, NY.

Ogden, E.C. 1974. Anatomical patterns of some aquatic vascular plants of New York. New York State Museum Bull. 424.

Ogden, E.C., J.K. Dean, C.W. Boylen, R.B. Sheldon 1976. Field guide to the aquatic plants of Lake George, New York. New York State Museum Bull. 426.

Seymour, F.C. 1982. The flora of New England. A manual for the identification of all vascular plants including ferns and fern allies growing without cultivation in New England. Moldenka, Plainfield, New Jersey.

Taylor, Norman. 1915. Flora of the vicinity of New York. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden vol. V. New York, NY.

Weldy, T. and D. Werier. 2010. New York flora atlas. [S.M. Landry, K.N. Campbell, and L.D. Mabe (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research http://www.fccdr.usf.edu/. University of South Florida http://www.usf.edu/]. New York Flora Association http://newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu/, Albany, New York

Links

About This Guide

Information for this guide was last updated on: August 9, 2011

Please cite this page as:
New York Natural Heritage Program. 2023. Online Conservation Guide for Potamogeton alpinus. Available from: https://guides.nynhp.org/red-pondweed/. Accessed September 23, 2023.