Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Aponogeton distachyos 

Other names

Water Hawthorn

Family

Aponogetonaceae

Flowering season

April to October

It was flowering in January 2018 and 2019 in December

in a pond close to Chesil Beach in West Dorset.

English distribution

It is thinly scattered throughout the country but is more

common in the South and the Southwest.

See the BSBI distribution map for Cape-pondweed

Habitat

It is a neophyte from South Africa which has been grown

as an orhamental aquatic plant in the UK since the

1780s and seen in the wild 10 years later. It appears

to be on the incease.

It is invasive and is a problem in Europe, Australasia

and the Americas.

It grows in ponds and lakes and is persistent.

Description

Cape-pondweed is a tuberous, perennial herb growing

in water to a depth of 2m.

The flowers are in forked spikes on long stems above

the water.

There are up to 10 flowers in a spike of up to 6cm.

Each flower has 2 white tepals up to 2cm long and

up to 18 stamens with purple black anthers and yellow

pollen.

There are several ovules, a short style and a linear

stigma, which I cannot see on the flowers shown here.

Leaves are floating, oval, up to 25cm and on long

petioles.

Stems are up to 2m and rooted in the mud and the

bottom of the water body.

It can produce seed in the UK but most dispersal is

thought to be done by people.