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

Alisma gramineum Lej.
narrow-leaved water-plantain (narrowleaf water plantain)
Alismataceae (Water-plantain family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Alisma gramineum
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial aquatic herb from a corm-like stem-base and a fibrous root; stems 5-50 cm tall.

Leaves:
All basal, linear, essentially bladeless to long-stalked with narrowly lanceolate blades, from submerged or floating to completely emergent, 3-40 cm long, 0.8-2 cm wide.

Flowers:
Inflorescence an open, bracteate panicle of long-stalked flowers; petals pink or white, slightly longer than the sepals; sepals mostly purple-margined, 2.5-3.5 mm long.

Fruits:
Achenes, 5-20, oblong, about 2 mm wide.

Notes:
The taxonomy of this species is extremely complex. At present we are recognizing a single taxon. For a discussion of the nomenclatural problems in this species see Reveal (1977).

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
White

Blooming Period:
Mid Summer

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer

Source: The USDA

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

1. Leaf blades broadly lanceolate to egg-shaped; petals usually white.............Alisma triviale

1. Leaf blades linear, lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate; petals pink, pinkish or white.

2. Inflorescence overtopping the leaves; petals 4.5-6.5 mm long, pink or sometimes purplish-pink..............Alisma lanceolatum

2. Inflorescence usually not overtopping the leaves; petals 2.5-3.5 mm long, pink or white.........Alisma gramineum

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Lakeshores, rivers, marshes and tidal flats in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent in S BC; circumpolar, E to S PQ and S to NY, NM, AZ and N CA; Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Alisma gramineum

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, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	1174	1174	1174
Slope Gradient (%)	0	0	0
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]		0
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	7	7	7
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	D
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	1
Modal BEC Zone Class	IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	IDF(1)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

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	S4	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

Alisma geyeri Torr.
Alisma gramineum var. angustissimum (DC.) A.J. Hendricks
Alisma gramineum var. geyeri (Torr.) Lam.
Alisma gramineum var. gramineum
Alisma gramineum var. graminifolium (Wahlenb.) Hendricks
Alisma gramineum var. wahlenbergii auct. non (Holmb.) Raymond & Kucyniak [misapplied]

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Alismataceae
Flora North America treatment for Alisma gramineum
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: 2024-05-12 4:08:09 AM ]

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