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Potamogeton pectinatus

Common name:	Fennel-Leaved Pondweed	Family:	Potamogetonaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	17
Synonyms:	Potamogeton interuptus (Kit.), Potamogeton flabellatus (Bab.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	An almost cosmopolitan plant, found in most areas of the world including Britain.
Habitat:	Ponds, rivers, canals, ditches etc, especially in base-rich waters in lowland areas, avoiding acid conditions and shade[13, 17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Coleogeton pectinatus[B,C] Coleogeton vaginatus[B] P. interruptus[B,P] P. vaginatus[B,L,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Fennel Pondweed [L], Fennel-leaved Pondweed [L], Sago Pondweed [L,P], Schedefonteinkruid [D], Sheathed Pondweed [L,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	pectinatus = comb like;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Najadales. Pondweed family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial at a fast rate. . It is in flower from May to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Water. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It can grow in water.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Root; Stem.

Leaves and stems[105]. No more details are given.
Root - raw[105]. It tastes like nuts[85]. The outer rind should be removed[85].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Hepatic.

A decoction of the plant is used in the treatment of a feverish liver[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

A submerged aquatic plant that can be used as an oxygenator of ponds[1]. It is best given a loam based medium in full sun[200].
A polymorphic species[17].
A fast growing plant in need of constant checking to make sure it does not overrun the pond[200]. It provides a very good food source for ducks and other water fowl[212].
Plants do not flower every year[212]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus, the resulting progeny is usually sterile[200].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a pot that is standing in its own depth of water in a greenhouse as soon as the seed is ripe if this is possible. Stored seed is likely to have a short viability. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and increase the depth of water around the pot until the plants are covered by a few centimetres of water. Grow the plants on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter, increasing the depth of water as the plants grow larger. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.
Division in spring[56].
Cuttings of erect shoots in the growing season[56].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Coleogeton pectinatus (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

References for Coleogeton vaginatus (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

References for Potamogeton vaginatus (a possible synonym).

[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Potamogetonaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[56] Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. E. P. Publishing Ltd. 1982 ISBN 0-7158-0789-7
Deals with a wide range of plants for temperate areas (and indoor aquaria) with quite a lot of information on cultivation techniques.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[212] Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963 ISBN 63-7093
Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

Readers Comments

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Potamogeton+pectinatus
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Potamogeton+pectinatus

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