Species profile—Aponogeton lancesmithii
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Aponogetonaceae → Aponogeton lancesmithii
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Aponogetonaceae
- Scientific name
- Aponogeton lancesmithii Hellq. & S.W.L.Jacobs
- WildNet taxon ID
- 21901
- Alternate name(s)
- Lance Smith's lace plant
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Endangered
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- Yes
- Wetland status
- Wetland Indicator Species
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Aponogeton lancesmithii is a rooted, submerged, perennial aquatic plant. The leaves are submersed and have linear to lance-shaped blades, 10-48cm long by 0.9-4cm wide. They are green to dark green in colour, with margins slightly undulate and stems up to 36cm long. The flower stalks are up to 74cm long and 1.2-1.8mm wide at the base, broadening to 4.2-6.8mm at the base of the flower head.
The flower heads are yellow and are often floating on the surface with the tip emerged. They are about 34cm long and sparsely to tightly flowered, with flowers borne evenly around the spike. The individual yellow flowers are 1.5-1.7mm long and 0.8-1.3mm wide. The fruits are 3-3.9mm long and 2.7-3.5mm wide, with a somewhat straight or bent beak at the tip. There are 3-8 seeds per fruit. The seeds have a loose coat with longitudinal folds, and are 2.1-3.2mm long by 0.6-1.0mm wide.
Unlike A. bullosus, which produces fairly short flower stalks and mostly submerged flowers, A. lancesmithii produces very long flower heads on inflated stalks that are longer than any other species in Australia. The inflorescences are usually emergent and the leaves often have blister-like swellings on the surface. The seeds of A. lancesmithii are similar to those of A. queenslandicus, A. vanbruggenii, and A. euryspermus. A. lancesmithii seeds have a double coating and a loose outer coat but they are generally smaller than the seeds of A. vanbruggenii and A. macrospermus. (Hellquist 1998) - Habitat
- Aponogeton lancesmithii grows in slow to fast flowing rivers and streams. (Hellquist 1998)
- Reproduction
- Aponogeton lancesmithii flowers and fruits from July to November. (Hellquist 1998)
- Notes
- Contributors: Kathy Stephens, Mellisa Mayhew 27/01/2009
- References
- Hellquist, C.B. & Jacobs, S.W.L. (1998). Aponogetonaceae of Australia, with descriptions of six new taxa. Telopea, vol. 8(1), p. 12.
Herbrecs (2008). Aponogeton lancesmithii, in BriMapper version 2.12. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 23/09/2008. - Profile author
- Kathy Stephens (27/01/2009)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=21901.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
