General:
Perennial, aquatic herb from strong rhizomes; stems mostly unbranched, up to 200 cm long.

Leaves:
Submersed leaves widely lanceolate, 8-20 cm long, 2-7 cm wide, with 27 to 50 veins, tapering into distinct, short stalks greater than 0.5 cm long, folded and curved backwards, strongly sickle-shaped, the tips pointed, the stipules 3-10 cm long, thin, persistent; floating leaves egg-shaped, 5-10 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, leathery, the stalks long, thick, the tips rounded, tapered at the bases.

Flowers:
Inflorescence spikelike, the spikes 4-8 cm long, with 6 to 10 whorls of flowers, the stalks thick.

Fruits:
Achenes, widely egg-shaped or almost globe-shaped, 5-6.7 mm long, 4.5-5.5 mm wide, the beaks widely triangular, the keels broad.

Notes:
Stem anatomical characters Interlacunar bundles strongly developed throughout the stem aerenchyma, subepidermal bundles absent, pseudohypodermis 1 or 2 cells thick, endodermis of O-cells.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Flower Colour:
Green

Blooming Period:
Mid Summer

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Orange
Present from Summer to Fall

Source:  The USDA