Aquatic Botany

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Aquatic Botany

• Angiosperms

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Hydrophytes

• Plants growing in water or on a substrate that is
  at least periodically deficient in oxygen as a
  result of excessive water content.

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Categorizing Wetland Plants for Delineation
Purposes(p. 755 of Mitsch)

• Obligate Wetland (OBL)-occur almost always (gt99)
  in wetlands E.g., Typha latifolia, Cattail
• Facultative Wetland (FACW)-occur usually (67-99)
  in wetlands, but also occur in non-wetlands
  (1-33) E.g., Onoclea sensibilis, Sensitive Fern
• Facultative (FAC)-similar likelihood of occurring
  in wetlands and non-wetlands (33-67) E.g.,
  Euthamia graminifolia, Grass-leaved Goldenrod
• Facultative Upland (FACU)-occur sometimes in
  wetlands (1-33) but more often in non wetlands
  E.g., Quercus rubra, Red Oak
• Obligate Upland (UPL)-occur rarely (lt1) in
  wetlands e.g., Dennsteadtia punctilobula,
  Hay-scented Fern
• (/- may be appended)

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Categorizing Wetland Plants by Growth Form

• Emergent-with leaves that extend above the water
  surface e.g., Northern Blue Flag, Iris
  versicolor
• Free-floating-float freely on the water surface
  e.g., Duckweed, Lemna minor
• Floating-leaved-leaves float on water surface
  e.g., Spatterdock, Nuphar variegata
• Submersed-most of leaves growing under water
  surface e.g., Curly-leaf Pondweed, Potomogeton
  crispus

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Emergents
Blue Flag Iris
Cattail, Typha sp.
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Emergents

• tolerate fluctuating water levels
• may dampen shoreline wave erosion stabilize
  sediments with interlocking rootbed of rhizomes
• usually with protective waxy cuticle
• leaves with aerenchymous tissue making them
  buoyant, useful for waterfowl nests
• may reproduce aerially (flowers) or vegetatively
  by rhizomes

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Aerenchyma
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Purple Loosestrife
American Burreed, Sparganium americanum
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Floating-leaved Plants
Water Meal, Wolfia sp.
Giant Duckweed, Spirodelia
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Floating-Leaved Plant Community

• cirucular/eliptical leaves with smooth margins
  resist tearing
• leathery thick cuticle (waterproofing)
• stomata on surface
• aerenchyma
• often long petioles often covered with mucilage
• may reproduce from flowers or by extensive
  rhizomes
• free-floating plants produce turions to overwinter

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Fragrant White Water Lily, Nymphea
Spatterdock
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Submersed Plant Community

• leaves flexible, often finely divided provide
  structure for invertebrates
• no cuticle often limp-the water provides support
• heterophylly is common
• stems photosynthesize
• some reproduce from seed, others by turion,
  rhizomes, or tuber

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Submersed Plants
Naiad, Najas sp.
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Elodea canadensis
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Pondweeds, Potomogeton sp.
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Carex
Bristly Sedge, C. comosa
Tussock Sedge, Carex stricta
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Juncus
Soft Rush, Juncus effusus