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

Heteranthera dubia (Jacq.) MacMill.
water star-grass
Pontederiaceae (Water-Hyacinth family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Heteranthera dubia
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial, aquatic herb from slender roots, rooting at the nodes; stems flaccid, usually submerged, 30-100 cm long.

Leaves:
Stem leaves linear, alternate, 7-15 cm long, (1) 2-5 mm wide, the tips rounded; stipules membranous.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of solitary, terminal, pale yellow flowers emerging from an axillary tubular bract (spathe); perianth tubes slender, 2-4 cm long; perianth segments (tepals) linear, about 5 mm long; stamens 3, slightly shorter than the perianth segments.

Fruits:
Capsules; seeds numerous, many-ribbed.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Ponds, lakeshores and slow-moving streams in the steppe and montane zones; infrequent in SW and SC BC; disjunct to MB and E to PQ and S to ME, MA, PA, NC, FL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, MX and CA; S America.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S3S4	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Zosterella dubia (Jacq.) Small

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Pontederiaceae
Flora North America treatment for Heteranthera dubia
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. 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: 2025-02-26 1:21:25 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.