WATER PLANTS WITH INSIGNIFICANT FLOWERS *
| Section # | Water Plants |
| 1. Filiform segments, none compound-like | |
| 1.1 emersed leaves us. bract-like, much reduced: | |
| feather-like leaves coming from out of the sides | Myriophyllum (water milfoil) (Haloragaceae; p. 307) Rose 0or4 4 4or8 0/0or4 4 0 1 |
| leaves bunched toward the tip of unbranched stems, just below the surface of the water; in pools in freshwater swamps us. is overlooked until clusters of swollen flower stalks grow above water in spring and early summer | Hottonia (featherfoil) (Primulaceae; p. 223) Dill |
| thread-like or larger lvs | Najas (naiads) (Najadaceae p. 646) Water Plantain |
| 1.2 emersed leaves foliaceous: | |
| Proserpinaca (mermaidweed) (Haloragaceae; p. 309) Rose 0 3 3 3 | |
| thread-like or larger lvs | Najas (naiads) (Najadaceae p.646) Water Plantain |
| 2. filiform lvs, not simple; clustered branches; compound like arrangements | |
| 2.1 emersed leaves us. bract-like, much reduced: | |
| leaves forming a cup pointed upwards | algae |
| equivalent of compound lvs | Ceratophyllum (coontail) (Ceratophyllaceae; p. 46) Magnolia |
| grows in streams with stony-bottoms | Podostemum -- riverweed (Podostemaceae; p. 307) Rose |
| 2.2 emersed leaves foliaceous: | |
| stems which grow under water have fine-forked lvs, the leaflets of which are uneven-ended | Armoracia -- lake cress (Brassicaceae; p. 187) Dill |
| opp lvs thread-like lvs | Zannichellia -- horned pondweed (Zannichelliaceae p. 647) Water Plantain |
| 3. bigger leaf-like leaves, compound | |
| 3.2 needlelike to oval, paired or bunched leaves on mainly flexible underwater stems | |
| opposite lvs, not whorled | |
| thin, but not linear, lvs | Callitriche -- water starworts (Callitrichaceae p. 458) Aster |
| thin, sparse lvs (widely spaced) | Crassula (Tillaea) (Crassulaceae p. 231) Rose |
| lanceolate lvs | Didiplis (water purslane) (Lythraceae p. 311) Rose |
| spatulate, subsessile | Elatine (waterworts) (Elatinaceae p. 141) Dill |
| spatulate lvs | Ludwigia (marsh purslane) Onagraceae p. 313 Rose |
| whorled leaves | |
| linear lvs | Hippuris (marestail) Hippuridaceae p. 458 Aster |
| elliptical lvs | Micranthemum (Scrophulariaceae 471) Aster |
| spatulate lvs | Elodea (common elodea) Hydrocharitaceae 637 Water Plantain |
spatulate lvs Ludwigia (marsh purslane) Elodea (common elodea)
(Onagraceae p. 313) Rose (Hydorcharitaceae p. 637) Water Plantain
(leaf types based on Hotchkiss, 1972 )