| Potamogeton crispus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Potamogetonaceae |
| Genus: | Potamogeton |
| Species: | P. crispus |
| Binomial name | |
| Potamogeton crispus L. |
|
Potamogeton crispus, the curly-leaf pondweed, is a species of aquatic plant native to Eurasia but perhaps better known as an introduced species and often a noxious weed in North America.
This plant is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing a flattened, branching stem up to a meter long. The leaves are linear or oblong in shape, narrower than broad-leaved pondweed, bog pondweed, fen pondweed, shining pondweed, and perfoliate pondweed. The thick leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and nearly one wide, and they are distinctive for their ruffled or wavy, serrated edges. They lack petioles. Turions occur in leaf axils and at stem tips.
The inflorescence is a short spike of flowers emerging above the water surface. It flowers from May until October.[1] The turions of the plant develop along with the fruits and germinate, leaving the newly sprouted plants to overwinter.[2]
This pondweed is an invasive species now found across most of North America. It was introduced accidentally to the Great Lakes and inland lakes within that region. The plant thrives in conditions normally less habitable to native plant species. It competes with native plant life and sometimes displaces it. It clogs waterways, inhibiting aquatic recreation and is considered a nuisance in some areas.