Potamogeton natans

L.

Floating Pondweed

G5Secure Found in 37 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.148022
Element CodePMPOT030N0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderNajadales
FamilyPotamogetonaceae
GenusPotamogeton
Other Common Names
floating pondweed (EN) Potamot flottant (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-30
Change Date1984-06-25
Edition Date2024-09-30
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Potamogeton natans is a perennial aquatic forb occurring nearly worldwide in slow-moving waters of ponds, lakes, streams, marshes, and ditches of North America and Eurasia. In North America, it occurs from Alaska and the Northwest Territories, south to California, east to New Mexico, north to Colorado, east through New Jersey, and north through Newfoundland and Labrador in the United States and Canada. There are over 5,000 occurrences of this taxon, which are potentially threatened by eutrophication, development, water diversion, alteration of hydrology, erosion, recreational activities, invasive species, climate change, and other threats in some places. Little is known about threats or trends, but with a large range extent, high number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, Potamogeton natans is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Potamogeton natans is a widespread species, occurring in North America and Eurasia (POWO 2024). In North America, it occurs from Alaska and the Northwest Territories, south to California, east to New Mexico, north to Colorado, east through New Jersey, and north through Newfoundland and Labrador in the United States and Canada (FNA 2000). Range extent was estimated to be over 83 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be over 5,000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats to Potamogeton natans are not widely documented but likely include development, water diversion, alteration of hydrology, erosion, pollution and eutrophication, recreational activities, invasive species, climate change, and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Potamogeton natans is an aquatic plant found in quiet slow-moving waters of ponds, lakes, streams, marshes, and ditches (FNA 2000, Les 2020). Specifically, it occurs in "bayous, bogs (roadside), borrow pits, canals (irrigation), channels (drainage, slow-moving), coves, deltas, ditches (irrigation, roadside), fens, gravel pits, lagoons (interdunal), lakes (oxbow), marshes (intertidal, spring-fed), ponds (artificial, beaver, cow, muskeg, pothole, stock), pools (shallow, stagnant), potholes, reservoirs, seeps, sloughs, streams, and streamlets" (Les 2020). Potamogeton natans typically grows in shallow waters (0.2–1.5 m) and tolerates full sun to partial shade, occurring in both oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions in places with slow-moving currents.
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fen
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New JerseyS3Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
North DakotaS2Yes
IdahoSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
WashingtonSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
ArizonaSNRYes
AlaskaSNRYes
OregonSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
MontanaSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
OhioS3Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
VermontS5Yes
ColoradoS3Yes
DelawareS1Yes
New YorkS5Yes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
NevadaS2Yes
North CarolinaSUYes
IowaS4Yes
South DakotaSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
WyomingS2Yes
KansasS1Yes
KentuckySNRYes
UtahS1Yes
IllinoisS3Yes
West VirginiaS2Yes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
Yukon TerritoryS2Yes
QuebecS5Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
ManitobaS5Yes
OntarioS5Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
LabradorSUYes
AlbertaS4Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS3Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (37)
Alaska (5)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
EudoraTongass National Forest195,022
KartaTongass National Forest52,117
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Thorne RiverTongass National Forest72,983
California (15)
AreaForestAcres
Bald RockPlumas National Forest4,675
Black CinderLassen National Forest239
Bucks LakePlumas National Forest680
Domeland Add.Sequoia National Forest3,046
East YubaTahoe National Forest17,968
Middle YubaTahoe National Forest7,379
North Fork American RiverTahoe National Forest38,495
PattisonShasta-Trinity National Forest29,299
Poison HoleEldorado National Forest2,627
PyramidEldorado National Forest24,347
Raymond PeakEldorado National Forest2,518
San JoaquinSierra National Forest22,474
South SierraSequoia National Forest8,008
South SierraInyo National Forest41,853
WoodpeckerSequoia National Forest11,936
Montana (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Marshall PeakLolo National Forest9,069
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
Ruby - SouthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest13,195
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Pecos WS RiverSanta Fe National Forest5,396
Oregon (7)
AreaForestAcres
Badger CreekMt. Hood National Forest847
Gordon MeadowsWillamette National Forest9,463
MarshWinema National Forest1,226
Salmon - HuckleberryMt. Hood National Forest17,570
Sky Lakes AWinema National Forest3,940
Sky Lakes BWinema National Forest9,615
West - South BachelorDeschutes National Forest25,994
Washington (4)
AreaForestAcres
Big Lava BedGifford Pinchot National Forest19,043
HorseshoeGifford Pinchot National Forest7,579
Mt. Baker Noisy - DiobsudMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest56,039
Red MountainGifford Pinchot National Forest2,992
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Wisconsin (1)
AreaForestAcres
09012 - Round Lake Study AreaChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest3,707
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2000. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 22. Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in part), and Zingiberidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 352 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Les, D. 2020. Aquatic Monocotyledons of North America: Ecology, Life History, and Systematics. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 568 pp.
  6. Plants of the World Online (POWO). 2024. Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Online. Available: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 2024).
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).