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California Waterwort - Elatine californica
General Description
California Waterwort is a dwarf, glabrous, submerged or terrestrial annual herb which freely roots at the nodes and forms small mats or becomes more elongate when under water. Montana material is up to 1.5 dm long and upright. The opposite, linear to spatula shaped, entire margined leaves are usually less than or slightly longer than 1 cm long. The minute flowers are borne solitary on short pedicels (stalks) in the leaf margins and have 4 sepals, 4 petals, 8 stamens, and a single pistil. The mature fruits are 4-celled, thin-walled, pedicellate capsules the size of a pinhead. The mature seeds are regularly reticulate and are curved either to an approximate right angle or like the letter "J."
Phenology
Flowering in July-August.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Distinguished from other Montana Elatine by having pedicellate flowers and capsules with parts in sets of 4 rather than 2 or 3, and by having conspicuously curved seeds.
Range Comments
WA to western MT, south to CA and AZ. Peripheral.
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 7
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Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Shallow waters and mudflats along edges of wetlands.
References
- Additional ReferencesLegend:
View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
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