Quick Guide to Submerged Vascular Macrophytes Key by Paul Champion and Paula Reeves Rare native plant Leaves spirally Lagarosiphon major Native plant arranged, deflexed Non-Invasive exotic plant Invasive exotic Leaves Ceratophyllum plant toothed on demersum Leaves one margin Some filiform leaves Leaves cauline whorled (comes off stem) Emergent Myriophyllum leaves triphyllum ovate
Leaves pinnately Leaves Emergent divided Myriophyllum not leaves propinquum spirally linear arranged Leaves not toothed
Leaves not All leaves basal Leaves not whorled Leaves not filiform pinnately Zannichellia palustris divided Continued on Continued on Continued on Page 1 page 2 page 8 page 16 Continued from page 1
Leaves Aponogetyon lanceolate, distachyus rootstock tuberous
Flowers arranged in Hydrocotyle sulcata Leaflets Leaves 3-5 umbels dissected foliolate several or more times Fruit receptacle Ranunculus with collar amphitrichus of bristles
Flowers Leaves solitary Leaflets basal Ranunculus linear glabrifolius Not as above
Leaflets Ranunculus macropus fanshaped Leaves not lanceolate, rootstock not tuberous Leaflets Leaves only Hydrocotyle not 3-5 dissected hydrophila foliolate 1-2x Continued on page 3 Page 2 Continued from page 2 Stoloniferous Leaves Only has straplike male Vallisneria gigantea flowers
Only has female Vallisneria spiralis flowers
Leaves not 3-5 foliolate Leaf with Continued on page 4 distinct sheath Not stoloniferous
Leaf without Otellia ovalifolia distinct sheath
Leaves not straplike Continued on page 5
Page 3 Continued from page 3
Leaves > Glyceria maxima 10mm width Sheath with cross Lemma Glyceria declinata veins lobed Leaves < 10mm width
Lemma pointed Glyceria fluitans
Leaves not Ligule of hairs Isachne globosa terete (grasses)
Culms bent sharply at Alopecuris geniculatus the nodes Sheath without cross Flowers arranged Paspalum distichum veins in paired racemes
Ligule Culms not membranous Long sharply bent obvious Amphibromus fluitans Flowers at nodes awns on arranged in spikelets single panicle
Page 4 Awns Phalaris arundinacea inconspicuous Continued from page 3 Bladders Utricularia monanthos present
Flowers 4 Ranunculus limosella Leaves petals and spathulate sepals
Leaves linear Flowers Bladders 5 petals Limosella lineata not present Leaves pinnate Cardamine ‘tarn’
Leaves not Flowers with Leaves not linear ‘free’ petals Ranunculus limosella straplike Leaves ovate spathulate Flowers united for Glossostigma elatinoides at least half their length
Flowers Glossostigma submersum Leaves not open spathulate Leaves Continued on linear page 6 spathulate Flowers Glossostigma Page 5 never open cleistanthum Continued from page 5 Leaves Lilaeopsis Leaves flattened novae-zelandiae septate with Plants obtuse tip with rhizome Leaves cylindrical Lilaeopsis ruthiana with tapered tip
Shoots Leaves not flabellate Triglochin striata spathulate
New leaves concentrically Pilularia coiled novae-zelandiae Leaves not septate
Shoots arranged Limosella lineata along stolon
Shoots not Plants flabellate without a Leaves Eleocharis pusillus rhizome linear
Continued on Not as Not as page 7 above above Hydrocotyle Page 6 Leaves not linear novae-zeelandiae Continued from page 6
Sporangia Isoetes kirkii enclosed in (NI populations endangered leaf bases not endangered in SI)
Plants < 50mm tall, Hydatella inconspicua bristlelike Plants without a rhizome
Sporangia not enclosed in leaf bases
Plants > 50mm tall, not Juncus bulbosus bristlelike
Page 7 Continued from page 1
Leaves Oenanthe aquatica pinnate
Leaves Crassula connate Leaves Continued on page 15 opposite
Leaf tips indented Callitriche hamulata Submerged leaves linear
Leaves Fruit not distinctly Callitriche stagnalis connate winged
Leaves not Leaf tips not whorled indented Fruit not distinctly Myriophyllum winged pedunculatum
Leaves Leaves Leaves orbicular Gratiola nana not toothed with pinnate black dots
Submerged leaves not linear Leaves ovate Gratiola sexdentata Leaves alternate
Continued on page 9 Leaves without black dots Continued on page 13 Page 8 Continued from page 8
Leaves divided Utricularia australis Leaves Bladders many times branched present
Leaves filiform Leaves sparsely Utricularia gibba divided
Bladders not present Ranunculus trichophyllus
Leaves Pratia perpusilla toothed Leaves alternate Leaf tip Lepilaena bilocularis 3-toothed Leaves in the same plane Leaves un-branched
Leaves not toothed Leaf tip entire Isolepis fluitans Leaves not Leaves not in the filiform same plane Continued on page 12 Continued on page 10 Page 9 Continued from page 9
Rhizomes Potamogeton pectinatus tuberous
Leaf tip acute Zannichellia palustris
Leaves Leaf tip not in the same bidentate Ruppia megacarpa plane
Rhizomes not tuberous
Leaf tip blunt Leaf tip not Ruppia polycarpa bidentate
Page 10 Continued from page 8
Flowers Hydrocotyle sulcata Leaflets arranged in dissected umbels several or more times Leaves 3-5 foliolate Flower receptacle Ranunculus with collar amphitrichus of bristles
Flowers solitary Leaflets Ranunculus glabrifolius segments leaves alternate linear Not as and not filiform above
Leaflet segments fan Ranunculus macropus shaped
Leaflets only dissected 1-2x Hydrocotyle hydrophila
Leaves not 3-5 foliolate Continued on page 12
Page 11 Continued from page 8
Seeds in Nasturtium microphyllum one row Leaves pinnate
Seeds in Nasturtium officinale two rows
Flowers 2-4 Myosotis laxa subsp. Leaves not mm across caespitosa 3–5 foliate
Leaves hairy
Leaves Flowers >4 entire mm across Myosotis scorpioides Leaves not hairy
Continued on page 13 Key Rare native plant Native plant Non-Invasive exotic plant Invasive exotic plant Page 12 Continued from page 12
Leaves with very wavy Persicaria edge, never with black hydropiper Leaves spot in centre lanceolate Leaves with mildly Persicaria wavy edge, usually with decipiens black spot in centre
Leaves Juncus terete with articulatus septae Floating Potamogeton leaves Some leaves cheesemanii oval floating on Leaves with surface distinctive main All vein leaves Potamogeton elliptic suboblongus Leaves not hairy Leaves > Leaves 30mm Potamogeton with crimped crispus Leaves not Leaves No leaves margin lanceolate without floating on septae surface Leaves without Potamogeton crimped ochreatus Leaves without margin distinctive main Grasses vein See page 4
Leaves entire Isotoma fluviatilis Leaves < 30mm Leaves Page 13 toothed Pratia perpusilla Continued from page 8
Leaves with a Ludwigia palustris petiole
Leaves almost Myriophyllum votchii fleshy & obovate
Leaves without black dots Fruit distinctly Callitriche stagnalis winged
Leaves Stem without a distinctly Tetrachondra hamiltonii petiole angled Leaves not as Fruit a above 3-lobed Elatine gratioloides capsule
Fruit not Stem not distinctly Fruit distinctly winged with 4 Callitriche petriei angled lobes Page 14 Crassula species continued from page 8
Stems red Crassula kirkii leaves us. <3.5 mm Leaves fleshy
Stems not red Crassula helmsii Leaves us. > 3.5 mm
Peduncle conspicuously elongated after flowering Crassula peduncularis
Petals acute Crassula ruamahanga
Internodes < leaves
Leaves not fleshy Petals subacute Crassula hunua
Peduncle inconspicuous Internodes > leaves Crassula sinclairii
Page 15 Continued from page 1
Stem Galium palustre 4-angled
Leaves Hydrilla verticillata conspicuously toothed
Leaves not filiform
Leaves in Elodea canadensis whorls of 3
Stem not 4-angled Leaves not conspicuously Egeria densa toothed Leaves in whorls of 4 or more
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