Document text
yee re ee we we ee ee ee
Pita E ct ees
ae is i PAN 4 $ EES er ee ae Rr er Oe Rn. pee nA RT RN ELT
Ao ae A IEEE A AGERE AP
FPN GRIER S CIT ENS,
RN COR
A FIELD MANUAL AND GUIDE TO THE
COLLECTING AND PRESERVING OF
B.C. AQUATIC PLANTS
P.D. WARRINGTON
BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
WATER QUALITY UNIT
RESOURCE QUALITY SECTION
WATER MANAGEMENT BRANCH
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
JULY 1983
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Warrington, Patrick D. (Patrick Douglas), 19%2-
A field manual and guide to the collecting and
preserving of B.C. aquatic plants
ee ey ne
ISBN 0-7726-0198-4
1. Aquatic plants - British Columbia - Collection
and preservation. I. British Columbie. Ministry
of Environment. II. Title.
QK203.B7W37 1983 579."6 ¢€85-092008-6
Peg ee. et a a eee Tne Ree
a elUlCU r)|CU a rr ae
a a a
abe
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Introduction and Key to Collection and Preservation Groups........... 1
Group A plants: List and Descriptions........ seorecersece TTT TTT TTT.
Group A plants: Collection Methods and Figure Legends........... ovccee®
: Group A plants: Figures.......... peceseesees PTTTTT TTT TT TTTTT tT 5
: Group B plants: List and Descriptions......s.seeeeeeee WETTTIT TTT TTL.
Group B plants: General Collection Methods........ TTT TTT TT LTT oeoekO
Group B plants: Specific Collection Details....... WPTTTTTTT TTT TT. 12
Group B plants: Figure Legends.......ssseseeeeeeees TTT Ti TT TTT TTT 14
Group B plants: Figures........ TOT TTT TT TTC TTL TTT TT seeks
Group C plants: Introduction.........seeeeee TTT TTT seekeeeees ccoeee
Group C plants: Descriptions........sseeeees secesee Seecenesseeees TT
C plants: General Collection Methods........ WTTTTTLIT Tt oone
Group C plants: Specific Collection Details... sseeeeeeeseeevesvenee 30
Group C plants: Figure Legends...... eeeeeese WYTTTTCTICT TTT coves
Group C plants: Figures......ssseseeeeeeees peceese TT TTT TT eebedeowes 34
'
:
H Group
ole
There are about 200 species of aquatic plants found in British
Columbia. While the collection and preservation is basically the same for
most of them, details vary sufficiently from species to species to make a
detailed discussion necessary if prime specimens are to be acquired. The
major problem with aquatic plant collection is that many collectors do not
recognize the plants they are collecting hence do not give each specimen the
individual treatment often required. This is an attempt to organize aquatic
plants into a few large groups which share common collection and
preservation techniques. Latin names will be used freely to assist those
who can identify the plants and descriptive phrases for those who can not.
Most submerged plants do not have structural supporting tissue as they
rely on the water for support (this is why they are virtually useless for
compost). Since the submerged portions of aquatic plants do not have waxy
or water repellant cuticles, having no need to protect themselves against
dessication, do not leave collected aquatics lying about in the sun even
briefly. They will dry out and wither very quickly, becoming useless as
specimens. Keep them in a bucket or bag of water at all times until you are
ready to press them. If you do not have a tray and must do your mounting in
a lake, do it in the lake from which you collected the plants. Do not carry
them on the the next lake and risk spreading aquatic weeds to new sites.
The following key splits the plants into three major groups which have
many collection and preservation techniques in common.
1. The plants are very small and freely floating on or under the water
surface. They may be stranded on wet mua by declining water
levels. Many of them will fit into a 20 ml vial. This group
includes the duckweeds and similar plants.
- GROUP ‘A’
1. The plants are generally larger and usually rooted in the bottom
with leafy stems and may be submerged, floating or emergent. A few
species are small enough to fit in a 20 mi) vial.
a.
2. The plants are emergent marginals or if submerged or floating they
do not collapse or clump together when removed from the water.
These plants are all stiff and hold their shape.
- GROUP 'B'
2. The plants are submerged and usually have fine or delicate leaves
and stems and tend to collapse into a clump or mat when removed
from the water.
- GROUP 'C'
Each of these groups will be dealt with separately on the following
pages.
a
-3-
GROUP A
These are all small floating plants (many specimens will fit in a
single 20 ml. vial). They may be found growing on damp muddy banks, shaded
from the direct sun, when left stranded by declining water levels. Since
they are small and free-floating they congregate in sheltered areas and are
rare in open water sites. In large lakes they will be found in down-wind
log-jam areas and among dense beds of other emergent aquatic plants along
the shore. They are more generally found in ponds, ditches, sloughs,
embayments and other protected waters rich in nutrients but with little if
any fetch.
The duckweed Lemna trisulca and usually the bladderworts Utricularia
minor and U. gibba are submerged; the others all float on the surface. The
floating plants include duckweeds - Lemna gibba, L. minor, Wolffia punctata
and Spirodela polyrhiza; two aquatic liverworts - Riccia fluitans and
Ricciocarpus natans; an aquatic fern - Azolla filiculoides; and occasionally
as an aquarium escape another aquatic fern Salvinia rotundifolia. Except
for Wolffia and Utricularia these plants are illustrated on the Group ‘A'
figure. The Utricularia spp. are represented by U. intermedia in the Group
'C' figures. Wolffia punctata is so small and featureless that it is not
illustrated.
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE GROUP ‘A‘ PLANTS
Wolffia punctata is very small and almost featureless even at 10x
magnification, Its common name is watermeai and it often looks like pollen
grains floating on the surface. It is not very common, or at least rarely
recognized and collected in B.C. but is usually found mixed with other
duckweeds. Lemna gibba and Lemna minor are very similar to each other,
green, and have one or a few roots on the bottom of the frond. They will
rarely be distinguishable in the field. Spirodela polyrhiza is green on
top, red beneath and has many roots on the bottom of each frond. Lemna
trisulca is unique and should not be confused with anything else. Azolla is
uf.
very rare, known only from the Shuswap area, and looks like overlapping
scales. Salvinia is not known to over-winter in B.C. when introduced. It
is a pale green and very hairy. It is extremely unlikely that either of
these last two species will be found. Ricciocarpus is dark green on top and
nearly black beneath with a very dense mat of rhizoids. It is fairly
widespread but prefers ditches with overhanging banks and vegetation which
provide shade. Riccia is common in the Okanagan in sheltered, warm water
and is a pale light green,
COLLECTION METHODS
These small plants do not make satisfactory pressed and dried specimens
and are best preserved in a vial. It is recommended that these vials be
taken into the field and the plants collected directly into the vials with a
little water. Each vial should then receive a label in pencil on waterproof
paper giving the date, the name of the site (reach, lake, sample point) and
the name of the collector. Later in the day the water should be replaced
with a preserving fluid composed of 5% formalin, 25% water and 70% ethanol
(or isopropanol but preferably ethanol). Do not put more than 1 species in
a vial; this may entail some tedious sorting in the field since duckweeds
usually grow in mixed communities. The preserving fluid may need to be
replaced after several weeks since it extracts chlorophyll] and pigments from
the plants and becomes quite dark and uraque.
LEGENDS FOR GROUP ‘A‘' FIGURES
Lemna gibba Azolla filiculoides
Lemna minor Salvinia rotundifolia
Lemna trisulca Ricciocarpus natans
Spirodela polyrhiza Riccia fluitans
Lah tea te ates ae ahem
wre ay ~ 4 —
GROUP A
dis
GROUP ‘B‘
These are the stiff or erect species which do not clump together or
collapse when removed from the water. Most are marginal and emergent
species that can support themselves out of water. Almost all are rooted in
the bottom and have leafy stems which emerge into the air. A few species
may be small enough to fit into a 20 ml vial but most are much bigger. A
number are totally submerged but rigid and self-supporting. Most of these
do not have leafy stems but rather roots and leaves arise directiy from a
swollen base. Submerged species which are erect and self-supporting
include: Isoetes spp., Lobelia dortmanna, Subularia aquatica, Lilaeopsis
occidentalis, Tillaea aquatica, and sometimes Veronica spp.
The emergent species which are self-supporting include: Sparganium
emersum, Sparganium eurycarpum, Ranunculus flammula, Alisma spp., Sagittaria
spp., Equisetum spp., Lilaea scilloides, Scheuchzeria palustris, Menyanthes
trifoliata, Calla palustris, Acorus calamus, Cicuta spp., Berula erecta,
Oenanthe sarmentosa, Sium sauve, Veronica spp., Mimulus spp., Iris
pseudacorus, Typha latifolia, Hypericum spp., Lysimachia spp., Myrica gale,
Potentilla palustris, Myosotis spp., Triglochin spp., Gratiola spp., Montia
fontana, Dulichium arundinaceum, Rhynchospora alba, Eleocharis palustris,
Scirpus lacustris, Elatine spp., and Marsilea vestita.
DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP ‘B‘' PLANTS
Veronica spp. are marginal plants generally submerged in the spring and
emergent in summer. They are small and inconspicuous, and being more common
in wetland habitats are not often collected around lakes. Tillaea aquatica
is very small and usually overlooked. It generally grows on bare mud flats
as water levels recede in the summer or in wetlands and vernal pools.
Lilaeopsis occidentalis is a small submerged plant with hollow segmented
leaves like small sausages. It grows in marshes, salt flats and sandy or
muddy beaches. It is generally in coastal or tidally influenced areas (such
i
l i‘:
} as Pitt Lake) and may be exposed at low water levels. It is rarely
collected. Subularia aquatica is a small plant generally submerged along
: the margins of lakes and ponds. It is an inconspicuous plant (probably more
common than collecting ~ecords indicate) usually overlooked by collectors.
Lobelia dortmanna has thick fleshy leaves in a basal rosette. The plant
i usually grows in shallow water on hard sandy bottoms where it can send its
| inflorescence up to the surface. Deep water plants do not flower. The
white flowers are very showy and conspicuous when large mats of Lobelia are
found. The roots are also a very striking white and occur in a dense clump.
Ranunculus flammula is usually found creeping among the rocks or on the wet
grassy margins of lakes and is conspicuous with its bright yellow
| “buttercup” flowers. It may also be found in shallow marginal habitats.
The leaves may be strictly linear or may have spatulate ends. Elatine spp.
are small mat forming plants growing on mud flats or in shallow water at the
margins of ponds. They are inconspicuous and rarely collected in lake
surveys. Alisma gramineum has long, narrow, spatulate leaves about as long
as the mature inflorescence. Alisma plantago-aquatica has short broad
leaves and a very tall inflorescence. Both usually grow in shallow water
i
l
j with the leaves and certainly the inflorescences emergent. They are
marginal plants in lakes or found in ponds and vernally wet areas. Pressing
{ the mature inflorescence from an A. plantago-aquatica plant is a challenge;
look for small plants or less mature specimens. Sagittaria spp. are
| difficult to distinguish. Leaves are of little diagnostic value; intact
inflorescences with flowers and fruits are required. Do not lose the white
i petals which usually fall off in the collecting bag. These are also usually
marginal and shallow water plants but both Alisma and Sagittaria may grow in
| deep water with non-surfacing linear leaves totally unlike their typical
i
j
I
t
emergent leaves. Equisetum spp., the horse-tails, are usually marginal in
lakes or found in shallow ponds and wet seepage areas. The stems are
segmented and hollow and may not have any branches. The fruiting structure
- a ‘cone’, is apical. The ‘cones’, presence or absence of branches and
details of the bracts at the joints are all diagnostic. In addition some
species have separate fruiting and vegetative stems which are
morphologically distinct. Lilaea scilloides is an inconspicuous plant of
——————————_——
-8-
shallow water or mud banks left by dropping water levels. It is found from
coastal tideflats to interior valleys but rarely collected. Scheuchzeria
and Lilaea have unique and diagnostic inflorescences and may not be
recognized when sterile. Isoetes spp. are not practically distinguishable
without microscopic examination of the spores found in a pouch at the base
of the quill-like leaves. These fully submerged plants may grow in quite
deep water. Myosotis spp. and Mimulus spp. are marginal or floating-mat
species, usually in ditches, ponds, and other protected water. They sprawl!
or creep over the mud, hang down from banks, or root in shallow, seasonally-
flooded bars and banks. Both have showy flowers, yellow in Mimulus and blue
in Myosotis. They also inhabit small creek beds, especially in the
mountains. Triglochin spp. are found in wet, marshy areas in shallow water
or in seasonally or tidally inundated areas. All tolerate brackish, saline
or alkaline water and grow in coastal bogs, inland meadows and mud flats and
in estuaries or coastal strands. A mature inflorescence with fruits is
generally required for species identification. Gratiola spp. are small and
inconspicuous and rarely collected. They grow in shallow water and on muddy
shores or other wet places. Montia fontana is another small inconspicuous
plant of shallow vernal ponds and exposed mud banks or wet meadows.
Dulichium arundinaceum is a marginal and shallow-water plant which is in the
sedge family but looks quite grass-like. It may also grow in marshes and
wet meadows. It is a unique monotypic genus and once recognized should not
be confused with anything else. Sium sauve is a variable plant related to
the Cicuta/Berula/Oenanthe group. All are marginals in lakes and found in
other wet meadows and marshes. The main diagnotic feature within this group
of genera is the relationship of leaf-vein endings to leaf-margin teeth.
Sium in particular also grows submerged where it takes on a very distinct,
narrow-leaf form and does not at all resemble the emergent plant. Hypericum
anagalloides often grows on logs floating on the water and trails down into
the water. It also grows on wet, mossy banks subject to seasonal flooding.
The other species tend to be on gravel bars, stream deltas on lakes and
seasonally inundated gravel shores. They have yellow flowers. Lysimachia
thyrsiflora grows as an emergent or marginal in quiet ponds and on sheltered
lakeshores or in ditches. Potentilla palustris is a sprawling shrub along
-9-
the margins of lakes and ponds and often growing in quite deep water in
beaver dammed pools. The flowers are a deep wine-red colour which is
unusual in the genus. Menyanthes trifoliata (buckbean) forms extensive beds
along the shallow water margins of lakes. The 3-lobed leaves and striking
white flowers make this plant easily recognizable. Calla palustris is a
northern species growing along the shallow margins of lakes and in wet
places. The inflorescence looks like a white skunk cabbage (to which it is
related) and has bright red fruits in the fall. The plant is poisonous.
Eleocharis palustris is an emergent or marginal plant in the sedge family.
The species is very variable and widespread in the northern hemisphere. It
may be a large plant, up to a meter tall, and grows from a tough rhizome.
Eleocharis acicularis is a very small mat-forming species often inhabiting
muddy banks left dry by declining water levels. Typha latifolia usually
grows in quite shallow margine!] areas or in wet seepage spots and ditches.
The plant is very common throughout B.C. and produces vast quantities of
pollen and seeds. Only the one species is known at present though others
grow in nearby areas. The diagnostic character for T. latifolia is the lack
of a gap between the male and female flowers on the spike. Similar species
growing in surrounding areas have such a gap. The ‘cat-tail' may reach 3 m
in height. Acorus calamus is a smaller plant than the ‘cat-tail’ but with
the same general growth habit. It is however, related to Calla and ‘skunk-
cabbage’. It is known from Montana, Washington and Idaho but very rare in
B.C. and grows in shallow marginal habitats as an emergent. Sparganium
emersum and S. eurycarpum are found in marshes and shallow marginal areas.
Both are robust, bright green, conspicuous, emergents. S. eurycarpum may
reach more than 2 m in height while S. emersum is only about half as tall.
The large spiny, globular, fruits are very characteristic with the shape of
the seed, as shown in the figures, serving to distinguish them. The seeds
of S. emersum taper gradually to a point while those of S. eurycarpum are
abruptly truncate. Also S. emersum inflorescences are unbranched while
those of S. eurycarpum branch several times. Iris pseudacorus is an emer-
gent, introduced but quite widespread around B.C. It is a large robust
plant up to 2 m tall and grows in dense clumps. The flowers are yellow and
the seed capsules up to 10 cm long. This plant should not be confused with
anything else. Scirpus lacustris, the bulrush, is a very widespread
-10-
marginal species in B.C. often forming a complete inpenetrable fringe around
lakes, ponds and marshes. It often grows in shallow water well out into
exposed portions of lakes where its extensive rhizome system stabilizes the
sandy bottom. Carex spp. are numerous and widespread throughout B.C. Most
grow in wet, seepage habitats though some inhabit dry sand-dunes and some
are marginal aquatics. Mature fruits are required for positive
identification in this taxonomically difficult group. C. sitchensis, found
mostly on the coast and C. aquatilis found in the interior represent the
many species of Carex in the accompanying figures. Juncus spp. are mostly
marginal though some grow in shallow water and may be seasonally inundated.
A mature inflorescence is usually needed to identify a rush. J. nodosus
represents the many Juncus species found in B.C. in the figures. There are
a number of genera of grasses which grow in wet marginal habitats in B.C.
In most cases leaf-sheaths and mature fruits are required for identification
and it is usually best to collect some of the roots or rhizomes as well.
One genus, which tends to grow in deeper water and not be an erect emergent
like the rest, Glyceria, is treated under group C. Wild rice, Zizania
aquatica, is the grass species illustrated.
COLLECTION METHODS
Unless otherwise indicated below, the whole plant should be collected -
roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits. During the day while you are
still collecting keep these plants in large plastic bags, big enough to
enclose the whole plant. On an overcast or rainy day there wit! be no
problem but on a hot sunny day the plants will wilt fairly quickly and make
poor specimens. If the plant was collected underwater keep some water in
the bag, or even collect into a bucket of water; but if the plant was
emergent do not submerge it, just keep the humidity in the bag quite high
and do not allow the top of the plant to project out of the bag and wilt.
If you are returning from the field within a day you may bring the plants
back in the bags and press them in the laboratory, at home or in the motel.
If necessary they will keep well in the crisper portion of the refrigerator
overnight. Don't keep them too long or the quality of the specimens
deteriorates. Plants should be pressed as quickly as possible after
collecting.
-ll-
Under some conditions it may be necessary to bring back frozen
specimens from the field. Group 'B' plants do not survive freezing as well
as the group 'C' plants and the resulting samples may not be suitable for
permanent herbarium specimens. However, the plants are identifiable and
provide distribution records. If frozen plants are being brought back put
each specimen in its own separate small plastic bag. Put all the separate
bags from one lake or site in a larger plastic bag with a common label.
This is also a good technique when bringing back fresh material in plastic
bags. It keeps small specimens from getting lost and some species like
Utricularia from becoming entangled. A large mass of tangled, previously
frozen plants is difficult to separate without damage.
Plants should be mounted on special water-resistant herbarium mounting
board which is precut to the correct size. Keep the bottom right hand
corner free; this is where the label will eventually be glued. Labels are
five inches wide and three inches high. In this space write, lightly in
pencil, the date, the name of the site (lake, reach, sample), and the
collectors name. You may also enter any other ecological data you wish.
This information will be transferred to a label which is then glued in this
corner.
Keep all notes with the plants, not on scraps of paper. Lay the plant
on the mounting board, roots in the bottom left corner, and fold over the
top of the plant if it is too tall. Put the plant and mounting board
between clean newsprint and then the whole package between two pieces of
corrugated cardboard. When you have finished put the whole pile of material
between the end boards of a plant press and cinch up the 2 straps lightly.
Next have someone stand on the press while you tighten the straps as much as
possible. The plants must be pressed tightly to prevent them from
shrivelling while drying. Retighten the straps daily for the first few days
as the plants dry and flatten. Arrange all the mounting boards the same way
and have all newspaper wrappers open to the same side (preferably to the
right); this greatly facilitates the job of taking the press apart. The
press must be dried fairly quickly or else the plants will rot and fungi
a si die _— = ne a A. ene
-12-
will begin to grow,. Herbaria have forced-hot-air drying cabinets for this
purpose. In the field place the press on the roof of the truck for several
days to force warm air past the plants. Remember to stop and bring the
plants in if it rains. Motels have hot air registers, ducts or radiators
which can be used. Hairdryers also make good forced-hot-air sources. When
drying, blow the hot air through the corrugations in the cardboard, which
should all be facing the same direction, in order to get warm air right
inside the press and as close to the plants as possible. Laboratory ovens
should be set at 40°C for several days.
SPECIFIC DETAILS FOR GROUP 'B' PLANTS
The species in the following list need no special handling - simply
press the whole plant as you find it. All plants should be rinsed free cf
dirt and adhering wood chips and gravel in the roots. Veronica spp.,
Tillaea aquatica, Lilaeopsis occidentalis, Subularia aquatica, Lobelia
dortmanna, Ranunculus flammula, Alisma spp., Sagittaria spp., Equisetum
spp-, ‘grasses’, Lilaea scilloides, Scheuchzeria palustris, Myosotis Sspp.,
Triglochin spp., Gratiola spp., Montia fontana, Dulichium arundinaceum,
Eleocharis acicularis, Elatine spp-, Sium sauve, Mimulus spp., Hypericum
spp.-, and Lysimachia thyrsiflora. Carex spp. and Juncus Spp. May have
extensive rhizomes. Collect a short piece of this rhizome with each
emergent plant. Menyanthes trifoliata, Calla palustris and Potentilla
palustris all have extensive creeping woody rootstocks. Take a short
section of rootstock with one cluster of leaves and flowers. Eleocharis
palustris grows in clumps from a rhizome. Break off a small section of
rhizome with several emergent stems attached, prefereably fruiting stems.
Isoetes spp. grow from a swollen two-or-three-lobed base which May be hard
to press. With large specimens slice this base into two or three sections
vertically and press all the slices; small specimens may not require slicing
and can be pressed whole. Sparganium emersum and S. eurycarpum plants can
be pressed whole, although the latter may sometimes grow rather large. It
is the large, hard, globular, spiny fruits which are a problem and
longitudinal slicing may be required. Acorus calamus and Typha latifolia
aha
Se eae eeu! AR on A
' - . ’ . ousinta ngodtents - " nn . ws Vt . > elt Betts sh
PARAS ENRON AA aH 0s
Se ee ne
Saeecatne
P
RAE nMOS ant Oe we Ma DEEN YP
«33.
are both very large ‘cat-tails'. With a sharp knife cut a short section of
stem with several leaves. If you can find a small plant, take the whole
thing along with a piece of rhizome. Young inflorescences can be pressed
whole but large mature ones are a problem. They are diagnostic and required
to differentiate one species from another. Slice them longitudinally into
three portions and keep the central portion with the stem; the other two
Outside pieces will fall apart. Iris pseudacorus is a large yellow flowered
marginal plant. A short piece of stem with leaves and the flowers are
sufficient. The fruits are quite large and bulky and may not press well
unless sliced open. A common technique for fruiting plants where the seeds
may be shed on drying is to collect the seeds, which are often diagnostic,
in small paper or cellophane pouches and attach these pouches to the
finished herbarium sheet. Scirpus lacustris, the large (up to 3 m) bulrush,
is also a problem. All that is really necessary is the upper portion of the
stem with the inflorescence, though again if a small plant can be found at
the apex of the rhizome it could also be collected intact. Cicuta spp.,
Berula erecta and Oenanthe sarmentosa are all Closely related plants and
very similar. The patterns of the veins on the leaves are diagnostic as is
the structure of the swollen base of the plant. Slice the swollen base
longitudinally so as to expose the internal cross-septa and press the pieces
Cut side up so the internal structure can be seen. Cicuta has several large
Chambers in the tuberous base. (Cicuta douglasii is very poisonous; a cow
may die from eating one tuber. Be careful).
CoeoON DM B&B WwW Pp we
— — pe
ny —- oO
i]
i od dll a
So 8 ow Jj wm > Ww
|
La)
~
-14.
LEGENDS FOR GROUP 'B' FIGURES
Veronica americana
Lilaeopsis occidentalis
Tillaea aquatica
Ranunculus flammula
Alisma gramineum
Subularia aquatica
Lobelia dortmanna
Elatine triandra
Sagittaria cuneata
Scheuchzeria palustris
Lilaea scilloides
Isoetes lacustris
Alisma plantago-aquatica
- Equisetum fluviatile
- Mimulus tilingii
- Montia fontana
- Myosotis scorpioides
- Gratiola neglecta
- Triglochin concinnum
- Oenanthe sarmentosa
- Sium sauve
- Berula erecta
- Cicuta douglasii
- Dulichium arundinaceum
Cicuta bulbifera
Acorus calamus
Lysimachia thyrsiflora
Calla palustris
Menyanthes trifoliata
Hypericum anagalloides
Eleocharis palustris
- Sparganium emersum
- Eleocharis acicularis
- sparganium eurycarpum
- Typha latifolia
- Juncus nodosus
- Iris pseudacorus
- Potentilla palustris
- Scirpus lacustris
- Carex sitchensis
Carex aquatilis
Zizania aquatica
a ae ‘ Ayr NR wee womanly aaa —
APP Loman
it AR alah ahi at Pin. 4 -
GROUP B
ee ea Te ey
-20-
GROUP B
em ND
PES LORE DS St NRE Ot we . .
be lace
GROUP B
a
.
-23-
GROUP ‘C*
These plants usually grow underwater or else floating on the surface
with only their flowers emergent. Some are rooted in the bottom while
others are free-floating. Some species may at times be sufficiently stiff
to be pressed like group B plants but they generally need to be mounted in a
different manner. Submerged specimens of Sium sauve and grasses in the
genus Glyceria fall into this group. Occasionally some species in this
group may become so encrusted in ‘marl’, when growing in hard water, that
they are rigid enough to be treated like group B plants, except that they
should have a blotter added to the press as indicated below.
demersum and Myriophy!llum exalbescens fall into this group.
Ceratophyl lum
Terrestrial plants of Hippuris vulgaris, Ranunculus spp., Myriophyl] lum
Spp., Polygonum spp., and Potamogeton spp. are sometimes found. They are
dry and firm enough to press like group B plants. Elodea may also grow in a
dense, short-internode form which is quite firm and self-supporting. Apart
from the above exceptions this group is treated together because they tend
to collapse or clump together when removed from the water. For this reason
they need to be floated onto the mounting sheet. As a rule the whole plant
should be collected (roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits); though as
indicated later there are exceptions to this rule. Once mounted and dried
many Group ‘C' plants adhere to the mounting board and cannot be removed
without damage, thus they must be mounted directly onto their permanent
meunting board and may not be dried first between newsprint and then
transferred to the board.
This latter technique is used with terrestrial
plants and may be used on some emergent group ‘B' plants.
-24-
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE GROUP 'C’ PLANTS
Nuphar spp. are the native yellow waterlily or cow lily. They grow
from subterranean rhizomes which may be many meters long and 20 cm in
diameter. Only the petioles grow to the surface with a large floating leaf
which may often be too large to press whole. The leaf is green on top and
bottom and may be emergent when water levels drop. The plants will also
grow on wet mud when stranded by declining water levels. Both species have
large robust yellow flowers and a sticky muscilaginous coating around the
seeds. They grow in marginal situations and in water to 2-3 meters deep.
Brasenia schreberi has peltate leaves reddish-green above and red below.
The flowers are small, inconspicuous and reddish. The entire submerged
portion of the plant is covered in a slippery mucilaginous layer which makes
collecting difficult. Brasenia is also a marginal species growing from
rhizomes and may grow a little deeper than Nuphar. Nymphaea spp. are
ornamental water lilies with red, white, pink, yellow or multicoloured
flowers. There are a number of "escaped" populations in B.C. but most are
Cultivated by lakeshore owners. Be discrete and tactful when collecting
ee ae a
he A eae sate
ascend to the surface as in Nuphar. The floating leaves may be red on the
lower surface and are usually smaller and rounder than Nuphar leaves.
Fontinalis antipyretica is an aquatic moss often found attached to rocks or
logs around the margins of lakes and in streams. It may grow quite deep or
in habitats left exposed in summer low water conditions. In the latter case
it becomes dormant for the summer. This plant has not been found in B.C.
waters with a pH higher than 8.1 since it can not utilize HCOz as an
inorganic carbon source for photosynthesis but relies on dissolved CO, .
All the Ranunculus species are shallow water or marginal plants most often
found in ponds and ditches, wet meadows or wet muddy areas left by receding
water levels. R. aquatilis is the most aquatic and may grow as floating
mats in deeper water. All are semi-terrestrial and may be found growing on
land in modified form. The proper taxonomic status of some of these
‘species’ is not clear as many are quite similar and all are morphologically
plastic in these vegetative characteristics. They have yellow ‘buttercup’
Nymphaea. They grow from large subterranean rhizomes and only petioles j |
SPR RIE AY
’ |
~25-
flowers except for R. aquatilis which is white. Rorippa nasturtium-
aquaticum, watercress, is a plant of wet seepage areas, shallow ditches and
marginal habitats. It grows in dense mats sprawling over the water and on
the banks or shores and prefers nutrient rich water. Ceratophyllum spp. do
not have roots but may be anchored on the bottom. Usually they float free
in large dense mats at the surface. In eutrophic waters C. demersum can
become a nuisance. C. echinatum generally grows well submerged and is more
difficult to find and collect. They are superficially very similar and may
be distinguished by the spines on their fruits which are hidden amongst the
foliage near the surface. Try to collect some of these fruits in late
summer, Chara spp. and Nitella spp. are large algae growing in clumps or
mats completely submerged in lakes and creeks, some in quite deep water.
Chara has a strong, unpleasant odour when brought out of the water. When
fruiting many small orange or red structures may be seen among the branches.
The species are difficult to distinguish and generally require a dissecting
microscope. Hippuris vulgaris grows on exposed mud banks or in very shallow
water where it has short, firm, bright green whor!s of leaves or in deep
water where the leaves are long, limp and brownish. If it reaches the
surface in deep water the leaf form changes abruptly at the waters' surface
and both types are found on the same plant. The stem is hollow and appears
jointed. Elodea spp. are widespread in a variety of habitats and may become
weeds in eutrophic conditions. They may be quite open with long gaps
between leaves or very compact. Since these are favoured aquarium plants,
they may be introduced to a number of lakes. Flowers are very small, white,
and on the ends of very long thin stipes so as to reach the surface; they
are rarely found or collected. The plants may be found floating freely in a
mat at the surface. Polygonum spp., ‘smartweeds', are usually marginal or
marsh plants but P. amphibium may also grow either in very deep water with a
clump of leaves at the surface and anchored to the bottom hy roots and a
long stem or as a low mat on exposed shores. They have clumps of rose
coloured flowers. Only P. amphibium has broad floating leaves, the others
are more emergent species with inconspicuous flowers. Limosella spp. are
small rooted plants in shallow water or wet mud. They are inconspicuous and
-26-
seldom collected. L. aquatica is widespread; L. subulata maritime. Najas
flexilis is a fairly common small plant which is inconspicuous when rooted
on the bottom and usually collected from floating fragments. It has very
distinctive, smooth, lenticular seeds and grows completely submerged in
shallow to deep water. Vallisneria americana is a common aquarium plant and
has been introduced to many lakes in B.C. When immature and vegetative it
is easily mistaken for several other species but in flower or fruit with its
long, coiled, peduncle it is a unique and unmistakable plant. It grows in
quiet water, preferably warm, and can be found to moderate depths. It is
completely submerged and not found as a marginal. Juncus supiniformis is
found both marginally with other Juncus spp. and out into deep water as a
floating mat but anchored to the bottom. The plant is proliferous,
producing ‘runners’ (like a strawberry), which in turn produce more
‘runners’ as they mature. By the end of the summer a large floating,
tangled mat of plants can be produced from a single parent plant in deep
water. Zannichellia palustris is a very small creeping plant fully
submerged in shallow water. It is usually overlooked since it creeps along
the bottom amongst the other vegetation but is instantly identifiable in
fruit and likely a lot more common than collecting records indicate.
Heteranthera dubia is submerged or floating just at the surface in lakes,
streams and ponds in quiet water. The flowers are pale yellow but rarely
seen in B.C.; the plant can be difficult to identify without them. This
plant is rarely recognized and collected but likely restricted to
southeastern B.C. Marsilea vestita is very rare and known only from several
Okanagan locations. It looks like a hairy 4-leaf clover but is actually an
aquatic fern with small, hairy, brown sporocarps at the bases of the leaves.
It is usually found on wet mud or gravel left exposed in summer by dropping
water levels, but also grows in shallow-water marshes. Callitriche spp. may
be found in 1 or 2 meters of wat2r in slow creeks or lakes but most often in
marginal habitats, in ditches or stranded on wet mud. In deep water, plants
are usually rooted in the bottom, have a thin leafy stem in the water column
and a rosette of dark green leaves in a cluster at the surface. In ditches
they may form very extensive mats covering the entire surface. Diagnostic
characters include the details of leaf-apices, leaf-venation, the junction
aa ti
et ne ee a
:
é
=
-
of leaf and stem and most importantly the morphology of mature fruits.. C.
verna, one of our five species, represents the genus in the illustrations.
Ludwigia palustris is a marginal or marsh plant found only in shallow water
and often sprawling out over the surface while rooted at or just below water
level. This species often has reddish leaves and is another favourite
aquarium plant. Bidens beckii seems to prefer nutrient rich sites. In
flower, with its yellow, emergent, head and finely-dissected submerged
leaves, it is unmistakable. Sterile specimens must be distinguished from
other dissected-leaf genera such as Ranunculus spp., Myriophyllum spp.,
Ceratophyllum spp. and Utricularia spp. by the pattern of the leaf
dissections. Details of this dissection pattern are shown in Group 'C'
illustrations as an identification guide. Bidens is not usually marginal
but grows in about 1-2 meters in quiet, ‘weedy’ warm-water areas.
Utricularia spp. are very widespread throughout B.C. and very distinctive
both vegetatively with their bladders which trap planktonic organisms, and
in flower with their yellow ‘snap-dragon like' blossoms. U. intermedia,
which is illustrated, is often found in acid sphagnum bogs. One branch with
bladders is white and anchored in the substrate, other leafy branches are on
top of the substrate. This species usually occurs in shallow marginal
habitats. U. vulgaris has bladders and leaves together on one large, much-
dissected branch. The stem may be 20 cm. in diameter and up to 6 m long.
It usually lies on the bottom but in shallow, warm, ‘weedy’ ponds may be
just below the surface. Scirpus subterminalis grows in shallow marginal
habitats in quiet water. The leaves are very thin and lax and float on the
surface although the fertile stems may be emergent. The plants are
rhizomatous and rooted in the bottom and often grow in quite extensive beds.
Glyceria spp. are grasses often found in wet meadows, marshes and shallow
marginal areas. The leaves float on the surface of the water and are quite
flaccid. Ruppia maritima grows generally in shallow or marshy areas but may
be rooted up to 1 meter deep. It is very tolerant of saline or alkaline
conditions and may be found in coastal estuarine sites or interior highly
alkaline ponds. It is a favorite food of ducks. The plant is scarcely
distinguishable from some linear-leaved Potamogeton spp. except when it has
-28-
a cluster of distinctive fruits on a coiled peduncle. Sparganium fluctuans
and S$. minimum are both usually shallow-water marginal or marsh species
with emergent fruiting spikes but lax floating leaves,
Both are much more delicate plants than the two group B Sparganium spp.
and S. minimum has only one male head and two or three female heads in an
unbranched inflorescense; S. fluctuans has a branched inflorescence with two
male heads and two or three female heads on each branch. Myriophyllum spp.
all have finely dissected ‘feather-like' leaves in whorls around the stem.
They may grow on mud banks exposed by receding water levels or as deep as 6
meters. Most have flowers on emergent spikes but some have flowers in the
axils of ordinary Submerged leaves. The genus occurs in a wide variety of
habitats throughout B.C. although some species have very restricted distri-
butions and specific habitat preferences, M. spicatum is illustated as a
typical species, Specific identification is difficult with vegetative
material in most cases. Potamogeton is the largest genus of aquatic plants
in B.C. and has a lot of variability. Potamogetons are found in almost all
aquatic habitats from marshes, stranded on wet mud to 6 meters of water.
One group which can be difficult to distinguish vegetatively has long,
narrow, fully submerged leaves and no floating leaves. They are listed
under the section on how to press group C plants. P. pectinatus is illus-
trated as an example of this group. Many of the remaining species of
Potamogeton are illustrated to show the variety of forms that may be
encountered, P. gramineus, in particular is very morphologically plastic
and its appearance is almost site specific depending upon the environmental
Parameters of the site. The floating leaves of P. natans are usually quite
reddish. Mature fruiting plants will have lost all submerged leaves, P,
robbinsii plants are dark green but usually appear brownish since they form
mats on the bottom and get covered in periphyton and detritus. P. gramineus
is commonly found as a dwarf rosette plant on damp mud left by receding
water levels. P. epihydrus submerged leaves are very thin and delicate. P,
amplifolius is a very robust plant with large folded leaves.
rine
ne
TIT EN EE A PEIRE SINE PAP RPP EIT EB CR TIO F
EI MIRE GRR apt Sey mS
LE tN Se ORE Sm
-29-
COLLECTION METHODS
The date, the site, the collector's name and any other pertinent data
should be written lightly in pencil in the bottom right hand corner of the
mounting sheet. Write this information while the sheet is still dry since
you can not write on this paper once it is wet. This information wil] later
be transferred to a 3" high and 5" wide label which is glued in this corner.
Write on the mounting board, not on easily lost or mixed up scraps of paper.
To make good specimens and avoid ‘clumping' caused by surface tension the
plants must be floated gently onto the mounting board then the excess water
drained off slowly. It is most convenient to carry a tray about 20" x 14"
for this purpose but lakeshores, ponds, and motel bathtubs and shower stalls
can be used. Do not mount on the shores of any lake except the one in which
you collected the plants or you risk spreading aquatic weeds from lake to
lake. Place the labelled mounting board under water and arrange the plant
on top, roots in the lower left corner. If the plant is too tall fold its
top over to fit it on the sheet. Do not cover the label area. Gradually
raise the mounting board out of the water Starting with the lower left
corner and arrange the leaves neatly just before they come out of the water.
Generally do not try to rearrange leaves once the sheet is out of the water.
Once the last corner of the sheet is removed from the water drain the excess
water off one corner for a few seconds then lay the board down on one half
of a piece of newsprint. Place a piece of white blotter over the plant then
fold the other half of the newsprint over the blotter. Put this package
between two pieces of corrugated cardboard in a press. These plants must be
collected into a bucket or plastic bag of water. They must not be allowed
to dry out. See the section on Group 'B' plants for further details on care
of the press, treatment of specimens prior to pressing and bringing back
frozen specimens.
-30-
SPECIFIC DETAILS FOR GROUP 'C' PLANTS
The following species need no special treatment, press the whole plant
as collected after rinsing off any mud or debris and floating onto the
mounting board: Sparganium minimum, 3. fluctuans, Ranunculus spp.,
Utricularia intermedia, Callitriche spp., Elodea spp., Najas flexilis,
Vallisneria americana, Hippuris vulgaris, Ceratophyllum spp., Bidens beckii,
Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum, Ludwigia palustris, Ruppia maritima, Marsilea
vestita, Limosella spp., Scirpus subterminalis, Heteranthera dubia,
Zannichellia palustris and Myriophylium spp.. Fontinalis antipyretica and
other aquatic mosses hold a great deal of water and should have an extra
blotter beneath the mounting board. Juncus supiniformis may grow as a very
extensive tangled mass in deep water. Al} that is necessary is to collect
the upper portion of the plant preferably with flowers and fruits and enough
to show the proliferous nature of the species. Chara spp. and Nitella spp.
are large aljjae anchored to the bottom. They have a tendency to stick to
the blotter and thus before the blotter is put down pieces of polyethylene
bag, waxpaper, cellophane or similar material should be placed over the
plants. This will peel off readily once the press is thoroughly dry.
Polygonum species, particularly P. amphibium, also have a tendency to stick
and can be dealt with in the same manner. P. amphibium growing in deep
water may have a very long bare stem with all the leaves at the surface.
Collect only the surface portion of the plant with a short section of stem
and flowers if available. Nuphar and Nymphaea floral details are required
for identification. In Nuphar cut a thin cross-section of the petiole a
short distance below the leaf and press it or note whether it is round or
compressed, Cut one leaf in half from apex to notch and press it with one
half upside down, Remove the green sepals and yellow petals from a flower
and press them, note how many there are of each in the label; also press a
few stamens and note whether they are all yellow or have reddish or purplish
markings. As the flower parts may be sticky they should be treated as was
Chara above to avoid sticking to the blotter.
aban MOT UAE LEO
.
*
> mt
wr Aree ere
|
:
I
1
1
—,
Collect Nymphaea leaves as for Nuphar and also a few each of the
sepals, petals and stamens. Note the colours of these flower parts and the
number of each; note also whether or not the flower is fragrant, the time of
day and whether or not the flower was open. Do not try to collect the
rhizomes. Brasenia schreberi is unique in that the leaves are peltate (the
petiole is attached in the centre of the blade). It also grows from a bulky
rhizome and all that need be collected is the apical portion of the stem
with several leaves, the bud and preferably the small red flowers. All the
underwater portions of Brasenia are covered in a coat of mucilaginous or
gelatinous material of variable thickness. When this dries the plants are
permanently glued to whatever they are in contact with while being pressed.
You must use a sheet of smooth non-porous material such as polyethylene or
saran wrap between the plant and the blotter when pressing this species.
Turn several of the leaves over to show the undersides as this will not be
possible later. Utricularia vulgaris may be small enough to press in its
entirety but may grow to be 6 m long and 20 cm in diameter. In the latter
case take only the apical portion of the plant. Try to find the yellow,
emergent, ‘snap-dragon-like' flowers later in the season in warm quiet ponds
and bays. There are 26 species of Potamogeton in B.C. in a wide diversity
Of habitats and growth forms. Many are too big to fit on a herbarium sheet
as they may surface from as deep as 5 m. Deep plants usually have few sub-
merged leaves except near the apical portion of the stem. Many also have
floating leaves arising near the stem tip and in the case of P. natans lose
their submerged leaves at this time. Collect only the upper portion of the
stem with flowers, fruits, floating leaves and a few submerged leaves. When
pressing these plants make sure some leaves of each type are upside down and
some right side up. Species in this group include P. diversifolius, P.
natans, P. amplifolius, P. nodosus, P. illinoensis, P. gramineus, P.
epihydrus, P. alpinus and P. oakesianus. P. robbinsii usually grows
completely submerged as an appressed mat on the bottom but may be found with
an erect, leafy, fruiting stem at times. Collect both the mat portion and
the erect portion when possible. Potamogeton alpinus may have some floating
leaves but if so they are not much different than the submerged leaves. The
plant is small enough in any case to collect the whole thing including some
of the rhizome. Potamogeton crispus, P. zosteriformis, P. praelongus and
-32-
P. richardsonnii all have broad submerged leaves, but no floating leaves.
Except for P, Crispus at times, they are too large to press in their
entirety and only the apical portion needs to be collected, Potamogeton
vaginatus, P. filiformis, P. pectinatus, P. friesii, P. berchtoldii, Pp,
fibrillosus, P. foliosus, P. Oobtusifolius and P. strictifolius have only
submerged,
linear leaves and all are usually smal] enough to collect the
whole plant. If bigger specimens are found, take only the upper portions,
Diagnostic characters in Potamogeton include the fruits,
Structure of the junction between leaves, stems and petiol
nodal morphology.
floating leaves,
es, Stipules and
oe
-33-
LEGENDS FOR THE FIGURES - (CON'T)
26 - Myriophyllum exalbescens
f
i
i
: Group 'C'
i 1 - Nuphar variegatum 27 - Bidens beckii
2 - Fontinalis antipyretica 28 - Ranunculus aquatilis
i 3 - Brasenia schreberi 29 - Utricularia vulgaris
4 - Ranunculus aquatilis 30 - Callitriche verna
| 5 - Nymphaea tetragona 31 - Marsilea vestita
6 - Ceratophyllum demersum 32 - Ludwigia palustris
7 - Chara sp. 33 - Utricularia intermedia
I 8 - Polygonum amphibium 34 - Ruppia maritima
9 - Elodea canadensis 35 - Bidens beckii
i 10 - Limosella aquatica 36 - Potamogeton pectinatus
1] - Hippuris vulgaris 37 - Scirpus subterminalis
| 12 - Ranunculus cymbalaria 38 - Sparganium minimum
13 - Ranunculus hyperboreus 39 - Myriophyllum spicatum
’ 14 - Ranunculus flabellaris 40 - Potamogeton illinoensis
15 - Ranunculus gmelinii 41 - Potamogeton crispus
é 16 - Ranunculus lobbii 42 - Potamogeton natans
17 = Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum 43 - Potamogeton robbinsii
| 18 - Ranunculus sceleratus 44 - Potamogeton richardsonii
i 19 - Juncus supiniformis 45 - Potamogeton amplifolius
20 - Vallisneria americana 46 - Potamogeton diversifolius
| 21 - Polygonum hydropiper 47 - Potamogeton alpinus
22 - Najas flexilis 48 - Potamogeton zosteriformis
' | 23 - Heteranthera dubia 49 - Potamogeton nodosus
24 - Zannichellia palustris 50 - Potamogeton epihydrus
{ 25/29 - Leaf dissection pattern details: 51 - Potamogeton gramineus
| 25 - Ceratophyllum demersum 52 - Potamogeton praelongus
I
d
;
GROUP C
py GROUP . -35-
ee
ray = ‘
y P+ .
{/
~~
ak fs
GROUP C
AT OVI ey
1 RRS
een
SR Soba. Wier ees enmres ? “1
SORE ADS. AIRMEN RE apy NRO REE lane i
ws re we ap ah ag as ee
rida ked rte ee .