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You are viewing an archived site. The Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database project ended in 2020 and the database is no longer receiving updates. Learn more…
Image of Callitriche stagnalis

Callitriche stagnalis

Plants

Pond Water-Starwort

Pond Water-Starwort is an aquatic plant of shallow streams and ponds, native to Eurasia and Africa and possibly Australia. The earliest North American record is from New York in 1861. By 1900, it had been collected in two New Jersey Counties, and strangely, Montana and Oregon. On the East Coast its range now extends from Quebec to Virginia. On the West Coast its found from British Columbia, Canada to Northern California. There are also several scatted inland records, probably from the nurseries or the aquarium trade, but shipping was also a likely vector for the East and West Coasts. There is no reported economic impacts related to this plant in the Chesapeake Bay or elsewhere.

Image Credit: Javier Martin, Wikimedia

Taxonomy Invasion History Ecology Impacts References

Description


Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Plantae Magnoliophyta Magnoliopsida Callitrichales Callitrichaceae Callitriche

Synonyms

None

Invasion History

Chesapeake Bay Status

First Record Population Range Introduction Residency Source Region Native Region Vectors
1942 Established Stable Introduced Unconfirmed North America Eurasia Natural Dispersal(Natural Dispersal),

History of Spread

Callitriche stagnalis (Pond Water-Starwort) is an aquatic plant of shallow streams and ponds, native to Eurasia and Africa. It is possibly native to Australia, and probably is introduced to New Zealand (Cook 1985; Philbrick et al. 1998). The earliest North American herbarium specimen of C. stagnalis is from NY state ('Thusk'?), dated 1861. By 1900, it had been collected in two NJ Counties, and on Long Island NY, as well as isolated records in MT and OR. Its range in Eastern North America is now from the St. Lawrence River estuary, Quebec (reached by 1932) to Fairfax County VA (by 1952). There are inland records from AL (1980) and WI (1925). On the West Coast , C. stagnalis has been recorded from British Columbia (by 1916) to CA (Butte, Humboldt and Napa Counties). There seem to have been at least two invasions of North America, on the East and West Coast, with shipping considered the likeliest vector (Philbrick et al. 1998). However, Callitriche spp. were commonly sold in the early aquarium trade (Les and Mehrhoff 1999).

The only clearly North American estuarine records of C. stagnalis which we have found are reports of this plant from the tidal flats of the St. Lawrence River (Fernald 1932, cited by Philbrick et al. 1998). In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, C. stagnalis has been collected in small streams and ditches in Montgomery, Prince Georges County and St. Marys Counties MD and Fairfax County VA. Alng the Potomac, it has been collected at Plummers Island, about 15 km above tidewater (U.S. National Herbarium collections).

References- Cook 1985; Les and Mehrhoff 1999; Philbrick et al. 1998; U.S. National Herbarium collection

Invasion Comments

Residency- Callitriche stagnalis (Pond Water-Starwort) has been collected from small streams and ditches in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (Philbrick et al. 1998; U.S. National Herbarium collections), but its occurrence in tidal waters and wetlands is unconfirmed.

Ecology

Environmental Tolerances

For SurvivalFor Reproduction
Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum
Temperature (ºC)
Salinity (‰) 0.0 0.0
Oxygen
pH
Salinity Range fresh-oligo

Age and Growth

Male Female
Minimum Adult Size (mm)
Typical Adult Size (mm)
Maximum Adult Size (mm)
Maximum Longevity (yrs)
Typical Longevity (yrs

Reproduction

Start Peak End
Reproductive Season
Typical Number of Young
Per Reproductive Event
Sexuality Mode(s)
Mode(s) of Asexual
Reproduction
Fertilization Type(s)
More than One Reproduction
Event per Year
Reproductive Startegy
Egg/Seed Form

Impacts

Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay

Callitriche stagnalis (Pond Water-Starwort) appears to be scarce in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and has not been documented as occurring in tidal waters. It has no reported economic impacts in Chesapeake Bay or elsewhere.


Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay

Callitriche stagnalis (Pond Water-Starwort) has no reported economic impacts in its native and introduced ranges.


Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species

Callitriche stagnalis (Pond Water-Starwort) appears to be scarce in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and has not been documented as occurring in tidal waters. It has no reported impacts on native biota in Chesapeake Bay or elsewhere.


Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species

Callitriche stagnalis (Pond Water-Starwort) appears to be scarce in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and has not been documented as occurring in tidal waters. It has no reported impacts on exotic biota in Chesapeake Bay or elsewhere.


References

Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.

Cook, Christopher D. K. (1985) Range extensions of aquatic vascular plant species, Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 23: 1-6

Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.

Gleason, Henry A. (1963) The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.

Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.

Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.

1999 List of non-native invasive vascular plants in Connecticut.. http://www.eeb.uconn.edu/collections/herbarium/herbariumother/ilist99.html

1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse

Philbrick, C. Thomas; Aajar, Ronald A., Jr.; Stuckey, Ronald L. (1998) Invasion and spread of Callitriche stagnalis (Callitrichaceae) in North America, Rhodora 100: 25-38


Direct questions and comments to chesnemo@si.edu.

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