# Valllisneria vs Sagittaria



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Can some body tell me how to distinguish these two leaves? And maybe Helanthium also. 

Thank you .


----------



## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

I believe there was a longer thread about that topic long ago, but I haven't found it again...


----------



## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Here's the thread:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...aggitaria-thinner-echinodorus-helanthium.html
Additionally, Val leaves have tiny teeth on the tip and margin (clearly visible with magnifying lens).


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Thanks. I was looking at the two leaves I have yesterday. One clearly has segmented leaf markings that almost look like little rectangular boxes. I would think that is the horizontal marking that people refer to with Vallisneria but I couldn’t see any of the” teeth” like structures on the edges. I will have to look again today. This was sold to me as drarf saggitarria, though it is about 6 to 8 inches tall at this point. 

The second leaf has a more pointed tip a distinct vein down the center and the leaf is thinner at the bottom wider in the middle I am thinking that is actually the Helanthium leaf. The leaf is about 5 inches long or so right now so I assume that isn’t ‘tenellum’ but might be ‘bolivianum. This was sold to be as simply a chain sword.


----------



## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

OK; you could look after the other characters mentioned in the thread, e.g.: lateral veins joining the midrib below the leaf tip (Vallisneria) vs. joining the leaf margin or tip (Sagittaria).
Perhaps we could ID the genus by a closeup photo.

The markings looking like rectangular boxes are air-filled chambers, separated by walls (septums). They can be found in many water and wetland plants belonging to the monocotyledoneous plants, e.g. Val, Sag, and even cattail (Typha): http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?...from=action=specie&specie=TYPANG&fileid=27064

Your description of the 2nd plant sounds really like something of the Helanthium bolivianum group.


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

I found a photo in Kasselmann of the denticles of V Americana and I am not seeing anything like that. I am not sure about the lateral veins but I believe it is closer to what is described for the saggittaria. 

I need to find a val somewhere to look at that leaf more closely. 

Thanks for the help you are a great recourse. 
I am not very good with a camera so I probably won't get you a close up. (Though the photo in my avatar is one I took in the lily house at Kew and its not so bad.)


----------

