Sparganium emersum

SIMILAR SPECIES: Sparganium chlorocarpum is the only member of this genus in Ohio in which at least the lowest pistillate head is supra-axillary, due to fusion of the peduncle with the stem. However, examination of technical fruit characters is needed for positive identification.

TOTAL RANGE: Nfld. and Que. to MN and ND, s. to s. NY, WV, IN, and IA.

STATE RANGE: The species was rediscovered for Ohio in Portage County in 1998. There is a 1969 record from Williams County. Pre-1960 collections exist from Champaign, Franklin, and Pike counties.

STATE STATUS: 1980-1989: Endangered, 1990-1997: Presumed Extirpated, 1998 to present: Endangered.

HABITAT: A variety of wet, open to semi-open situations: muddy or peaty shores, swamps, marshes, or shallow water.

HAZARDS: Drainage or other alteration of the wetland habitat; overshading by taller species as a result of succession.

RECOVERY POTENTIAL: Unknown, but possibly good in northwest Ohio due to its frequency in adjacent states (see Comments).

INVENTORY GUIDELINES: Mature fruiting material is needed for positive identification.

COMMENTS: S. chlorocarpum is fairly common in Michigan and northern Indiana, and could thus quite possibly be found in other counties of northwest Ohio. It may have been overlooked due to the difficulty of collecting it in its wetland habitat. The species should also be sought in northeast Ohio.

SELECTED REFERENCES:

Beal, E.O. 1960. Sparganium (Sparganiaceae) in the southeastern United States. Brittonia 12: 176-181.

Crow, G.E. and C.B. Hellquist. 1981. Aquatic vascular plants of New England: Part 2. Typhaceae and Sparganiaceae. New Hampshire Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 517. 21 p.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 4+ vols. New York and Oxford. (The Sparganiaceae is treated in Volume 22.)

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Natural Areas and Preserves

Created: 11/1983 James F. Burns