# Got an easy one for ya



## RESET (Oct 12, 2010)

Please forgive the noob post. I know there has to be a quick simple way of IDing my own plants but I am new a this. Would someone please direct me to a resource for identifying local aquatic plants as I find them. I am sure that as I go I will start recognizing species traits that will make this easier.

Here is the one I have for now. None of the local rivers have any plants in them, recent flooding has scoured the banks, so I went to a nearby man made lake to see what was there. I found two plants. One is one that I have snagged several times while fishing and the other is new to me.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Hi

Here are two sites:
http://plants.usda.gov/
www.missouriplants.com

Our Plant Finder resource also has a few native plants.

The first photo is of a _Ceratophyllum_, aka hornwort. Maybe _C. demersum_.

The second is a _Potamogeton_ species. Hard to say which.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

I have seen that second one a lot when I used to be in Wisconsin. It could be _Potamogeton pectinatus_, which is common, but there are several others in the genus that are quite similar.


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## Big Dog (Nov 30, 2009)

Better pictures always help. :twitch:


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## RESET (Oct 12, 2010)

Big Dog said:


> Better pictures always help. :twitch:


Next time I will use my 8Mp camera rather than my phone. Does the attachment limit apply to photobucket links? The attachment manager has a limit of 488 meg for jpegs, that equates to a pretty sad picture.



Cavan Allen said:


> Hi
> 
> Here are two sites:
> http://plants.usda.gov/
> ...


Thanks, I have been using the USDA site after getting plant IDs. I haven't figured out how to sift thru the thousands of plants that are native to Iowa let alone the ones that are native to NA. Like I said, eventually I will be able to key in on characteristics that will lead me to the genera then it will be a little easier to use the USDA search function to go thru the 5 - 50 species per genera. Thanks for the IDs, I will check them out and see if I can narrow it down from there.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

There are a few good sites in our Links section. If you have a good botanical library nearby, there are a few books that may be helpful. But you really need flowers, etc to make certain IDs


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## RESET (Oct 12, 2010)

HeyPK said:


> I have seen that second one a lot when I used to be in Wisconsin. It could be _Potamogeton pectinatus_, which is common, but there are several others in the genus that are quite similar.


I couldn't find that one in the USDA site so I googled it. Wikipedia said that it was a alternate name for _Stuckenia pectinata_. Looks just like the plant that I found. Thanks for the lead.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Hello RESET,


HeyPK said:


> It could be _Potamogeton pectinatus_, which is common, _but there are several others in the genus that are quite similar._


 => It could be another species as well, these small narrow-leaved Potamogetons are difficult to ID.


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