E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Alisma triviale Pursh
American water-plantain; northern water plantain
Alismataceae (Water-plantain Family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Brian Klinkenberg  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #21478)
Distribution of Alisma triviale
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Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.



Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of BC
General:
Perennial aquatic herb from a corm-like stem-base and a fibrous root; stems 20-120 cm tall.
Leaves:
All basal, long-stalked, the blades egg-shaped to broadly lanceolate, 5-15 cm long, 1.5-10 cm wide.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open, bracteate panicle of long-stalked flowers; petals usually white, 4-6 mm long; sepals green, 2.5-4 mm long.
Fruits:
Achenes, egg-shaped, 2.5-3 mm long.
Notes:
Despite several monographs on Alisma the taxonomy and nomenclature of the above species still remains confused (see Reveal [1977]).

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Alisma triviale

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2008)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Average

Minimum

Maximum
Elevation (metres)
 709 565 790
Slope Gradient (%)
 0.3 0 2

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

 200.0 200 200
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		7.0 7 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
 Very rich
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
 8
Modal BEC Zone Class
 PP

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

 BG(1), ICH(1), IDF(1), PP(2)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the:  "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Habitat / Range

Shallow ponds, marshes and ditches in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common in S BC south of 52degreeN; rare northward; E to NF and S to ME, VA, NE, NM, AZ and CA.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of BC

Synonyms and Alternative Names

Alisma brevipes Greene
Alisma plantago-aquatica
Alisma plantago-aquatica subsp. brevipes (Greene) Samuelsson
Alisma plantago-aquatica var. americanum Schult.
Alisma plantago-aquatica var. brevipes (Greene) Victorin
Alisma plantago-aquatica var. triviale

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Alismataceae
 Flora North America treatment for Alisma triviale
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the Missouri Botanical Garden
 Vascular Plant Type Database, New York Botanical Gardens
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Burke Museum of Natural History's Image Collection
 Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

Related Databases

FDA Poisonous Plant Database

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2013. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 5/23/2013 6:51:24 PM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
E-Flora BC: An initiative of the Spatial Data Lab, Department of Geography UBC, and the UBC Herbarium.