Hottonia inflata Elliott
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Family
Primulaceae (Magnoliophyta)
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Scientific Name
Hottonia inflata Elliott
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Common Names
Featherfoil
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Description
Specific Epithet Etymology: inflata = inflated, for the stems and scapes
Species Description: Rooting in soil, roots usually submersed at fl time; stems ordinarily submersed, floating, to 1.1 m, the length dependent on water depth, 3-13 mm wide, widest distally, bearing scattered adventitious roots proximally, bearing lvs distally, internodes increasingly shorter distally, the distalmost leaves pseudowhorled; lvs just below or at water's surface, oblong, 2-12 cm, shedding at maturation of first fruits; scapes (1-)5-14, hollow except at nodes, 6-32 × 0.3-1.8 cm, segments 0.4-11 cm, progressively shorter distally, glandular, especially cal, pedicels, and distal portions of scapes; fls 3-10 at each node, sessile or on pedicels to 15 mm, each subtended by a linear bract; sep linear, 4-10 mm; cor 4-5 mm, shorter than cal, white, tubular with slightly flaring lobes; frs on ascending or spreading pedicels, 2.2-2.8 × 2.3-3.0 mm; 2n=22.
Habitat: Sunny or lightly shaded, shallow, still or slowly flowing, acidic or circumneutral water of ponds, sluggish streams, and swamps, often with seasonally fluctuating water levels, or occasionally emersed in wet soil.
Geographic Distribution: Chiefly on the Coastal Plain, ME s. to FL, w. to e. TX, n. in the Miss. valley to s. IN, and irregularly to OH and WV.
Flowering Time: April-July
Conservation Status: Rare, local; secure, but of concern in most states, concern: DE, IN, MD, ME, MO, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, WV.
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Floras and Monographs
Hottonia inflata Elliott: [Book] Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
