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

Phyllospadix torreyi S. Watson
Torrey's surf-grass
Potamogetonaceae (Horned pondweed family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Phyllospadix torreyi
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial, aquatic herb from slender rhizomes; stems annual, usually branched, 40-120 cm long, 0.5-2 mm wide.

Leaves:
Tufted at the rhizome nodes, becoming folded or cylindric, 3- (5-) veined, margins entire, (30) 50-150 long, 1-1.5 (2) mm wide.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of stalked spikes of male and female flowers on different plants; female spikes 3-7 per stem, 1-sided, 4 (5) cm long; male spikes 5-6 cm long.

Fruits:
Nutlets, 3-4 mm long, base with 2 downward projecting, hornlike lobes.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Exposed, rocky, intertidal to subtidal coastal shores; infrequent along the coast south of 51 degrees N; S to MX.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

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.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

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

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Potamogetonaceae
Flora North America treatment for Phyllospadix torreyi
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: 2024-11-21 10:22:46 PM ]

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