Starry Stonewort
Nitellopsis obtusa, Starry Stonewort A Non-Native Submerged Aquatic Lower Plant STARRY STONEWORT (SSW) Nitellopsis obtusa • Scientific name of SSW: Nitellopsis obtusa (Desvaux in Loiseleur) J. Groves (1919) • Common name: Starry Stonewort (SSW) • Synonyms & Other Names: Chara obtusa, C. ulvoides, C. stelligera, Lychnothamnus stelliger, Nitella stelligera, N. stelligera var. ulvoides, N. ulvoides, N. bertolonii, Nitellopsis aculeolata, N. obtusa var. ulvoides, N. obtusa f. ulvoides, N. stelligera, Tolypellopsis obtusa, T. stelligera, T. ulvoides. STARRY STONEWORT (SSW) Nitellopsis obtusa General Characteristics • SSW is a nonindigenous submerged aquatic lower plant. • SSW is a filamentous alga. It has straight branches arranged in whorls of 4 to 6 long branchlets, & are attached at acute angles to stem nodes. • SSW is a summer annual, but can overwinter as a perennial during mild winters. However, SSW in some Michigan inland lakes appears to thrive in the cooler waters of fall, winter, & spring, & becomes dormant or less active during hottest parts of summer lakes (Pullman & Crawford 2010). STARRY STONEWORT (SSW) Nitellopsis obtusa General Characteristics • Most stem & branch cells are around 1 mm in diameter (Hargeby 1990). • Stems can extend up to 80 cm long, or 31.5 inches (Hargeby 1990). • Growth up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) observed at depth of 9 m (29.5 ft) in one Michigan Lake (Pullman and Crawford, 2010). Source: www.seagrant.sunysb.edu. SSW STARRY STONEWORT (SSW) Nitellopsis obtusa General Characteristics The “squeeze test” may be used to distinguish SSW from Chara spp. • In SSW, the protoplasm will pop out of the cell when squeezed. The remaining cell wall becomes limp straw (G.
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