''Littorella americana'' Is a species of flowering plant commonly called American shore plantain. It is a small aquatic plant native to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to Minnesota.
Description
''Littorella americana'' Is a monoecious (having separate male and female flowers on the same plant) perennial growing from thin annual
stolons
In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...
and rhizomes. The leaves are stiff with an arching habit, they are rounded in cross section. The flowers are wind pollinated (
anemophilous
Anemophily or wind pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by wind. Almost all gymnosperms are anemophilous, as are many plants in the order Poales, including grasses, sedges, and rushes. Other common anemophilous plan ...
). Plants have a single, staminate flower, produced on top of a bare
pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
(stems that hold flowers) up to 4.0 cm (1.6 in.) long.
The staminate flower has four sepals and four anthers which have long thin filaments.
The sessile, pistillate flowers are produced around the base of the plant, they have long stigmatic styles. Flowering occurs when the plants are exposed by low water levels.
The unilocular ovaries produce small nuts, but clonal plants rarely produce fruits, apparently being self incompatible.
Habitat
''Littorella americana'' grows in shallow water along the margins of
oligotrophic
An oligotroph is an organism that can live in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients. They may be contrasted with copiotrophs, which prefer nutritionally rich environments. Oligotrophs are characterized by slow growth, low rates of ...
lakes with sandy or gravelly bottoms.
It can form dense mats by way of spreading rhizomes. Water depths of 20 to 60cm are preferred but it is also found above the water line on sandy beaches. It is found growing in clear and dark watered lakes and in permanent ponds.
Native range
''Littorella americana'' is native to the US states of Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, New Brunswick, Vermont, and Wisconsin; it is also found in the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec, Vermont.
References
Plantaginaceae
Freshwater plants
{{Plantaginaceae-stub