# Live in a northern climate? Aquatic plants abound!



## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

Credit goes to Cavan for the idea behind this thread. I was going to do it Monday or Tuesday, but after reading a few posts from people in northern climates that were sad about the lack of native aquatic plants in their areas, I felt compelled to bring them some happiness. 

While working on my book, I realized that there were a lot of aquatic plant species that I had not seen before, and I ended up traveling all over Wisconsin to find them in their natural habitats. There are about 120 aquatic species in the Upper Midwest region, and many additional variations and subspecies. Here's a quick sample of the diversity we are blessed with in the Upper Midwest. This doesn't even scratch the surface of what can be seen in a day of traveling around a lake-rich region of Wisconsin. Some lakes will contain 40 or more species, but you have to be paying attention to see all of them, and of course have an idea of what you're looking for.

This is one of our _Alisma_ species, which commonly occur in low spots that are periodically flooded. They will become more robust plants when the water recedes.









_Azolla mexicana_:
We have two _Azolla_ spp. here, mostly in the Wolf and Missisippi River watersheds. Azolla floats around in quiet shallows with many species of _Lemna, Spirodela, Riccia, Ricciocarpus_, and _Wolffia_.









_Brasenia schreberi_:
This plant has a beautiful little flower that pops up in early July. It's often mistakenly called a water lily or pond lily, though it is actually in the _Cabombaceae_ family, not the _Nymphaceae_ like the lilies.









_Callitriche palustris_ (_C. verna_):
We have three _Callitriche_ spp., with _C. palustris_ being the most common by far. _C. heterophylla_ and _C. hermaphroditica_ are quite rare. _Callitriche_ tends to be found in quiet areas with groundwater seepage.









Mosses:
This is a _Drepanoclatus_ moss, one of many mosses that occur submerged in Wisconsin lakes.









_Eriocaulon aquaticum_:
This is our only _Eriocaulon_, which prefers sandy substrates and softer water. Seen here with _Elatine minima_ and _Juncus pelocarpus_.









_Heteranthera dubia_:
_H. dubia_ occurs in lakes and rivers, and will occasionally flower, either when plants get stranded on mudflats, or when the plants grow densely together and can support the emergent flowers. _Ranunculus aquatilis_ is also shown here.


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

Duckweeds:
We have three species of _Lemna_, and three species of _Wolffia_ in Wisconsin. _Spirodela polyrhiza_, _Lemna minor_, and _Wolffia columbiana_ are shown here.









_Ludwigia palustris_:
This plant is very widespread, and can occur on shore or submerged. It is a very hardy species. Several other _Ludwigia_ species occur in Wisconsin, many of them near water.









_Myriophyllum_:
This is _Myriophyllum tenellum_, our "dwarf water milfoil". Its leaves are reduced to tiny scales on the stem, but it does produce a spike of pink flowers like many of the other milfoils. We have eight watermilfoils in Wisconsin, with our most common of course being the invasive Eurasian watermilfoil, _Myriophyllum spicatum_.









Here is _Myriophyllum verticillatum_, commonly found in hard-water lakes and fens.









One of our showiest plants is the American lotus, _Nelumbo lutea_. This one is uncommon across the state, but usually abundant where it is found.









Water lilies:
This is our rarest water lily, _Nuphar microphylla_. It also hybridizes with _Nuphar variegata_, and shows intermediate characteristics. 









_Potamogeton_:
We have 24 species of _Potamogeton_, plus many subspecies and varieties. _Stuckenia_ and _Zannichellia_ are often called "pondweeds" as well, but belong to their own groups. _Potamogeton gramineus_ is shown, along with some _Vallisneria americana_ and _Najas flexilis_.









_Utricularia_:
This is one of our eight _Utricularia_ species, known as the bladderworts. They are all carnivorous species, some feeding on free-swimming organisms, others feeding on benthic organisms. _Utricularia macrorhiza_ (a.k.a. _U. vulgaris_) flower shown with _Brasenia schreberi_.









And so concludes our brief tour of Wisconsin's aquatic flora. Despite our harsh climate, aquatic plants do just fine around here! I would encourage any Upper Midwest residents to become familiar with the differences in our native species, and get out there to see them!

Now for a quiz...who knows what this is? (scale in mm)


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Ah! I think I know what that last one is, but it escapes me. I'll think of it. A fruit, but of what?

Do you know anything about the jelly-like substance on the underside of _Brasenia_ leaves and the petiole? Most curious. Its relationship to _Cabomba_ makes a bit more sense if one has seen floating leaves of the latter.


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## Noto (Oct 26, 2009)

It's a coontail fruit! Looks like _Ceratophyllum demersum_, it should have more of a flange for_ C. echinatum_. Very nice thread and shots. I may be up in Minnesota in the late spring for a meeting, I'll have to check out some wetlands. You guys get a lot of species we miss out on in the South.


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

It is in fact a C. echinatum fruit. C. demersum's fruit has just three straight projections, instead of the many irregular projections on the C. echinatum fruits. 

The gelatinous coating on the Brasenia stems and underside of leaves is an anti-predator defense mechanism (mostly anti-bacterial and anti-fungal). If you look at the top side of Brasenia leaves after they've been on the surface for a while, the slimy coating wears off and there is abundant evidence of insects and other organisms feeding on it. If you haven't gotten a chance to swim/snorkel through a patch of Brasenia stems, you should put that on your bucket list.


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## Noto (Oct 26, 2009)

Ah, gotcha. I read some papers on _Ceratophyllum_ fruit morphology a few months ago, but I must have gotten them mixed up.


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## HolyAngel (Nov 3, 2010)

I want that azolla! Thanks for the write-up! ^^


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## defiesexistence (Jun 23, 2010)

Wow! I really appreciated this! This will be bookmarked for sure. I should go on a plant hunt once the ice goes away.


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

HolyAngel said:


> I want that azolla! Thanks for the write-up! ^^


Azolla mexicana is a very pretty plant, but I think Ricciocarpus natans is still my favorite free-floating species. Probably because my wife and I spent hours hunched over blankets of duckweed in search of it!


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Eriocaulon aquaticum. Brings me back to a little hiking trip I did last year. I remember seeing a few but never bothered to grab any. Didn't have an emersed setup. Wish I could find some Azolla though. I'd rather that take over my tanks then duckweed.

Will post my own photos this spring when I go poking around again. Water is currently super cold. :^(

-Gordon


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## mindnova (Jan 22, 2008)

Gets me interested in looking here in central West Virginia.

Are there any good sites for native plant identification?


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## Noto (Oct 26, 2009)

http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/34 is a good start.

There are a number of aquatic plant manuals that you might be able to find at your library or possibly on Google Books. Fassett's _A Manual of Aquatic Plants_ and Meunscher's _Aquatic Plants of the United States_ are old but still good- you just have to be wary of taxonomy and nomenclature changes.

If you feel comfortable with more technical stuff, try some of the online keys like Weakley's flora and FNA.

The families are pretty easy to learn, and the genera for the most part are not too bad, though identifying to species can be very challenging in some of the bigger genera.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Also, don't forget this site, here. We have some experts in plant identification who will usually get it right. Just send in a good picture.


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

I use Crow & Hellquist's (_Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern North America_) and Gleason & Cronquist's _Manual of Vascular Plants_. Many people don't like using botanical keys and would prefer to see photographs, so that is where I stepped in.

I also reference Flora of North America online and the Freckmann Herbarium from UW-Stevens Point. The herbarium website offers a bunch of photographs for most of the Wisconsin flora, which are variable in quality.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Have you ever encountered _Ludwigia polycarpa_? I'm eager to find that one.

It seems that many of these plants that do well in low nutrient conditions don't fare so well in many aquariums, which is a real shame. _Gratiola aurea_ is a fascinating plant (supposedly grows in water up to 14ft deep!) but only seems to really thrive in mineralized soil tanks. _Juncus pelocarpus_ will grow, but at an absolutely glacial pace. _M. tenellum_ is fairly similar, though I'd like to try it from a different location that where we found it last. _Elatine minima_ seems to always eventually rot from the bottom up, though I think that if you could keep it going long enough, you might be able to get some of it 'over the hump'.

_Eriocaulon aquaticum_ differs drastically in terms of suitability from one location to the next; some stay pale and small while others are robust. That gives me hope for some of the others.


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

I've only seen Ludwigia polycarpa once. It was growing on a very wet shoreline. It is apparently fairly common throughout the southern half of Wisconsin. I think I just haven't paid as much attention to the shoreline species as I have to the true aquatics. I intend to change that tendency this year though.

Eriocaulon aquaticum ranges from the size of a nickel to 4-5" in diameter around here. I've even seen it raise flowers above the surface in as much as 4ft of water. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw such a miniscule plant in such nutrient-poor conditions producing a flower stalk that long.

I tried growing Elatine minima in a small pot on my windowsill, and it hung on for a few weeks but gave up. The Drosera rotundifolia and Drosera intermedia also didn't fare too well. 
To my surprise, a couple of volunteers popped out of the same pot - Utricularia cornuta and Xyris torta - and flowered for me. Those species were a real treat to have sitting in my office.


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## Puffbug (Mar 30, 2011)

Are there any laws against taking plants out of rivers and putting them in tanks?


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

Wisconsin law prohibits removal of native aquatic vegetation unless it is by a shoreline property owner clearing/thinning their allowed 30ft "access corridor" in front of their property. It is also illegal to transport aquatic vegetation on a public roadway. Read over Wisconsin NR40 if you'd like to read about the specific statutes.

The exception to this is if you are collecting/transporting aquatic plants for identification purposes, or for disposal (in the case of unwanted exotic species).


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## joshp428 (Nov 16, 2007)

My only question is how do you make native plants safe to introduce into your tank without all kinds of organisms and possible pathogens etc.? Like in my Tanganyikan Rift Lake Tank, how can I just throw native plants in and not have the fish suffer because of it?


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

There are rinsing products available that serve to remove or kill organisms that might be living on the plants. I haven't used them myself though, so I can't attest to their performance.

In my tanks, I try to replicate the native systems, so I just rinse them with water and whatever remains on the plants just lives in the tank. I only have a few native fish in my tanks, so I'm not too worried about pathogens and such.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

Lakeplants said:


> There are rinsing products available that serve to remove or kill organisms that might be living on the plants. I haven't used them myself though, so I can't attest to their performance.
> 
> In my tanks, I try to replicate the native systems, so I just rinse them with water and whatever remains on the plants just lives in the tank. I only have a few native fish in my tanks, so I'm not too worried about pathogens and such.


sounds interesting you should post a few pics


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

I'm in the process of changing the 55gal around, but I'll post some pics soon.
Currently, it has a common shiner, several fathead minnows, and a mudpuppy. 
Plants include Ceratophyllum demersum, Ceratophyllum echinatum, Myriophyllum verticillatum, Ranunculus aquatilis, Sparganium fluctuans, Utricularia minor, Utricularia macrorhiza, Utricularia intermedia, Wolffia columbiana, Wolffia borealis, Wolffiella gladiata, Lemna minor, Lemna turionifera, Lemna perpusilla, Lemna trisulca, Spirodela polyrhiza, Riccia fluitans, Ricciocarpus natans, Azolla mexicana, and Landoltia punctata.


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## Spritely (Jan 23, 2015)

How do northern plants handle tropical tanks though? Could I keep a Brasenia schreberi in 78 degree water? I've seen it growing near Marquette, MI and would love to try growing it.


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## HDBenson (Sep 24, 2014)

Spritely, Welcome to the forum!! I do not know for sure but, I can offer some experience. I live in east-central Mississippi. WE have pretty temperate weather here(fairly cold for two-three months, cool-warm spring and fall, and really really hot humid summer from about april-october). Many of the aquatic plants here are used to some kind of at least cool dormant period to thrive long term. I would imagine that in states further north these plants might NEED a cool period to last more than a year or, two. So, you might wan't to set up a tank that you can adjust the temperature through out the year. For example, keep a heater running during the spring and summer, then in late fall and winter cut the heater off all together. This is also a way to get these plants to bloom(this along with increasing the duration of daily lighting). Hope the OP will chime in and give you a better idea, but that's my experience.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Spritely said:


> How do northern plants handle tropical tanks though? Could I keep a Brasenia schreberi in 78 degree water? I've seen it growing near Marquette, MI and would love to try growing it.


Some can, some can't. You don't know until you try. In water that's too warm, a lot of plants can't uptake co2 properly, no matter how much there is. That's why a lot of them don't work.

You could probably keep _Brasenia schreberi_ (related to _Cabomba_) is warmer water. I assume you mean seedlings.


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

Spritely said:


> How do northern plants handle tropical tanks though? Could I keep a Brasenia schreberi in 78 degree water? I've seen it growing near Marquette, MI and would love to try growing it.


_Brasenia schreberi_ naturally occurs throughout most of the United States, so I don't think it would be a problem to keep it in a tropical tank. I haven't tried growing this species myself. It produces many large seeds in the early fall, which are easy to collect and might be easier to propagate than rhizome material. Scarification of the seed coat would probably increase your success rate.


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