General:
Perennial, aquatic herb from long rhizomes; stems usually submerged, 80-150 cm tall.

Leaves:
Alternate, limp, unkeeled, usually floating, linear, ribbon-like, 60-100 cm long, 3-11 mm wide.

Flowers:
Inflorescence branched, of 2 to 4 female heads below and 1 to 6 male heads above, the heads globe-shaped, unstalked, the female heads 1.5-2.3 cm wide, axillary and subtended by conspicuous leaflike bracts; perianth segments 6, spoonlike, often with a dark spot at the tips, attached near the base of the flower stalk; stigma 1; anthers about 0.4-0.8 mm long.

Fruits:
Achenes, 2-5 mm long, unstalked, more or less constricted at the middle, beaked, the beaks 2-3.5 mm long, curved; seeds 1.

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

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Sparganium androcladum var. fluctuans Engelm. ex Morong