Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Potamogeton crispus
Common name
Curly pondweed
Family
Potamogetonaceae
Where found
Aquatic. In slowly flowing freshwater, also tolerant of slightly saline water. Often in drains. Widespread but not common.
Notes
Submerged rhizomatous perennial herb with branched, trailing, flattened, stems to at least 4 m long. Leaves alternating along the stems, or opposite each other when subtending an flower spike, 2-10 cm long, 5-15 mm wide, stalkless, thin, translucent, 3–5 principal longitudinal veins, margins wavy and with minute teeth, bases blunt to rounded, stipular sheath to 5 mm long, enclosing the stem above the node, often disintegrating, tips blunt, rarely pointed. Flowers 3–4 mm in diameter, with 4 'petals'. Flowers in a 3-14 flowered emergent spike 8-20 mm long when in mature seed. Flowers and fruits Nov.–May.
A hybrid species derived from this and Potamogeton ochreatus has been described as Potamogeton x jacobsii. It was found at Narellan (without either parent), and could occur in other places.
All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Potamogeton~crispus (accessed 3 February, 2021)
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