Look up the bio for Potamogeton pusillus and see if it matches up with your sample.
I will have to get some more samples, as these have deteriorated.
They are floating just below the surface, near shore and in open water. If I'm reading the descriptions clearly, they are rooted. My water has been a foot above average for almost two weeks. Is it possible that its been there for a good while, but the higher level has pulled some out to the surface?
Here are more pics that are probably better. I am leaning towards the slender pondweed (Potamogeton pusillus) or some variation of it, but still have doubts. I must admit that I have a hard time translating what some of the descriptions really mean when they talk about this plant stuff. The leaves look like the slender pond weed link that I included below. Yet the leaves seem to both alternate and opposite at different places on the same vine.
Here is a shot of a basic run of the weed. The plant branches out, one being a large leaf, the other turns into a small stem that then just goes a short way and has leaves again. It does this along the entire length of the vine/stem.
This is another shot of the same along the same stem, but seems a bit more advanced/longer.
And here is the end of the vine with seed pod? Looks like a total of eight seeds to me. Four on each side. This doesn't look like the slender pondweed seed photo in my link below.
Seed Pod of slender pondweed Leaves of slender pondweed
So when a plant has both opposite and alternate, what is it considered?
Your plant does not have opposite leaves. I think the leaves at the tip are alternate - the stem has not elongated enough to make alternate real apparent. Some pondweeds can have alternate leaves and some will have opposite leaves near the ends. I know of no plant that has opposite and alternate leaf arrangement on the same plant. It is almost always one or the other, not both.
Very good pictures of the seeds. Nice photography. You are correct the seeds are not correct for small pondweed. The narrow leaved pondweeds are sort of difficult to separate due to several of them look very similar in casual pictures, plus the narrow leaved pondweeds can be fairly variable with several varieties of each species. I think you might have leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus especially if the seeds are on stalks not at the end of the plant but originating in the leaf axils (angles) back from the tips or ends. Mature seeds are supposed to have small keels with a wavy margin. Leafy pondweed occurs in all states of the US.
FC you take really good photos...nicely done. I've been trying to photograph my own pondweed that looks similar for some time, but can't get photos nearly that quality to post for positive ID.
FnC - okay I'll ask what type of camera did you use to take the pictures of the pondwed seed head?
Thanks for the help guys. I am getting it narrowed down thanks to you.
On the photography. I am certainly not an expert, as I am sure there are many others here that are more capable than me. Because of the need to take pics of my artwork with small details, I have the need/patience to keep trying. It gets expensive to hire it out to be done all the time.
I have a Fuji FinePix digital camera. Model S602Zoom. I imagine it is now considered an antique compared to how fast technology moves. It has settings for macro, which probably all do now. I took the seed pod photo with no tripod, holding the camera in one hand with seed in other. I was quite surprised myself as to how clear it was. It goes to 6 megapixels, which tells you the age too. Most of the cheapies now go better than that. The photos above were taken at the 3M level.
A couple things that I try to remember when I take photos. For those of us that are in the generation where we had the older cameras with film(you remember that?), it's hard to break that mental thought in the back of your mind about how much it costs for the film and developing. With digital, take LOTS of pics. What's it going to hurt? Take at least two of each in case you move, and try different stuff, in different ways. For example, I tried many different white backgrounds with those above. Every time, they all turned out blue. Yes, I am sure there is a way to change the settings to make it better, but I don't want to think that hard. Instead, I tried the background of the finger (It' not going to cost anything to try) and I was surprised as to the trueness of color it gave.
Another thing that is important with digital pics is lightining. You have to have good lighting. Digital just can't take good pics in low light, and the flash is usually worthless. It floods out the subject to much, etc...
Hope this helps you in some small way, you guys are always helping me in big ways. Thankyou.
Good feedback FC, well done again. Are you happy with your vegetation? Doesn't appear to be any kind of invasive species, I think these types of pondweed are considered beneficial. What's your analysis - are you happy, concerned, etc? What's the plan moving forward, if any, to manage the vegetation?
Now that I know what it is, I have been looking at various past posts about it. As you said TJ, its kind of an uncertain whether it is good or bad. I am concerned about it, but will keep a watchful eye on it. It may have been there awhile now without causing problems, and possibly I'm just noticing it now because it is floating on the surface. My water is usually dark. It must have uprooted itself due to the high water level that has happened.
Am I happy about my vegetation? Not fully. I have a bluegreen algae that I want gone. Never thought that I would have such a bad case of it. I think I know why I have it, and I think I know of how to help prevent it in the future. I currently do not have aeration/diffusers, but from the start I was planning for it in the future. Problem for me is that the pond is 1500' from the nearest electric, over rough terrain.
Am I happy? Yes. I have a better pond than before. When I first started renovating, I didn't know about PondBoss. I was constantly looking for sources of info. My friends always asked what if "this" or "that" might happen. My response always was "I am not striving for a perfect pond. Flaws are normal". Funny how when I came across this site, there was a book "perfect pond, want one" and I thought, "no". Now don't get me wrong, I am not stirring up trouble. I am just realistic about nature and my own situation. Nothing is perfect forever, and I like interesting, and learning.
My initial stocking was because of things not being perfect. I stocked RBT to counteract an early hatch of GSF. Was the best thing that has happened to me so far. We had a blast with them, and would never have gone that route otherwise. Enjoyed them so much, I want to pursue that more in the future. There were many opinions that I should kill the pond off and start again, but for me it was a priceless experience. Lemonade from lemons? Perhaps... But it has been REALLY GOOD lemonade!!!!!!!
Jim
