Floating Pondweed - native (Potamogeton tricarinatus)

Family: Potamogetonaceae.

Native.

Occurrence: Grows in water.

The floating oval leaves with the short dense flower cluster makes this a distinctive plant.

It can be confused with Swamp Lily (Ottelia ovalifolia), which also has floating oval leaves. Swamp Lily differs in that the leaf-stalks are not branched but arise from the base of the plant, and the flowers are a showy, about 5cm across, with white petals which have a reddish base.

Three species of Potamogeton have been recorded locally
Floating Pondweed (P. tricarinatus). Some leaves floating. Floating leaves oval, on long stalks.
Curly Pondweed (P. crispus). All leaves submerged. Leaves finely toothed, wavy (i.e. not flat), leaves without very fine veins between the main veins.
Blunt Pondweed (P. ochreatus.) All leaves submerged. Leaves not toothed, not wavy, rounded at the ends, with fine veins between the main leaf veins.