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Stuckenia pectinata

(L.) Boerner

Sago Pondweed

G5Secure Found in 8 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.132095
Element CodePMPOT030S0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderNajadales
FamilyPotamogetonaceae
GenusStuckenia
Synonyms
Potamogeton pectinatusL.
Other Common Names
Potamot pectiné (FR) Sago false pondweed (EN) sago pondweed (EN)
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.
Taxonomic Comments
Kartesz (1999) and FNA (2000, vol. 22) recognize Potamogeton pectinatus as a synonym of Suckenia pectinata.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-08-07
Change Date1984-06-25
Edition Date2025-08-07
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Stuckenia pectinata is an aquatic forb occurring in a wide variety of brackish to alkaline waters worldwide, throughout the Americas, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. There are over 1,500 estimated occurrences of this taxon rangewide, which are potentially threatened by development, water diversion, alteration of hydrology, pollution, recreational activities, invasive species, and likely other threats in some places. Little is known about threats and trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, Stuckenia pectinata is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Stuckenia pectinata is a widespread species, occurring in the Americas, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia (FNA 2000, POWO 2025). In North America, this species is found throughout all of Canada and the United States south through Mexico (FNA 2000, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). Range extent was estimated to be over 200 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations collected between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are more than 1,500 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats to Stuckenia pectinata are not well documented, but potentially include development, water diversion, alteration of hydrology, pollution, recreational activities, invasive species, and likely other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and affinity for typically abundant habitats.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Stuckenia pectinata occurs in a wide range of brackish to alkaline habitats of estuaries, lakes, streams, and rivers, in still to fast-flowing waters, and up to elevations of 2400 m (FNA 2000). It grows best in clear, shallow, low-wave environments, especially alkaline or brackish waters rich in chloride and sulfate (Les 2020). Though tolerant of diverse substrates, its distribution is more influenced by wave action, which affects turbidity.

Reproduction

Fruits are dispersed by water currents and by various birds (Les 2020).
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
South DakotaSNRYes
IllinoisS3Yes
HawaiiSNANo
OklahomaSNRYes
New HampshireS1Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
New JerseyS4Yes
WashingtonSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
MontanaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
VermontS5Yes
South CarolinaS2Yes
AlaskaSNRYes
IdahoSNRYes
North DakotaSNRYes
UtahSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
OregonSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
West VirginiaS3Yes
MaineSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
ColoradoS4Yes
VirginiaS4Yes
WyomingS3Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
DelawareS4Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
KansasS4Yes
ArizonaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
NevadaS3Yes
OhioSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
IowaS4Yes
North CarolinaS2Yes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS4Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS4Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS2Yes
Yukon TerritoryS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
OntarioS5Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
AlbertaS4Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
ManitobaS5Yes
NunavutSUYes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
QuebecS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (8)
California (2)
AreaForestAcres
Garcia MountainLos Padres National Forest7,850
Machesna MountainLos Padres National Forest12,271
Montana (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Tenderfoot - Deep CreekLewis and Clark National Forest85,614
Utah (3)
AreaForestAcres
418026Uinta National Forest14,038
418027Uinta National Forest13,884
Stump CreekCaribou National Forest355
Washington (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. BonaparteOkanogan National Forest10,891
References (10)
  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). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  3. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  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. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  6. Les, D. 2020. Aquatic Monocotyledons of North America: Ecology, Life History, and Systematics. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 568 pp.
  7. Plants of the World Online (POWO). 2025. Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Online. Available: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 2025).
  8. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  9. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  10. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).