Vallisneria americana

Vallisneria americana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Hydrocharitaceae
Genus: Vallisneria
Species:
V. americana
Binomial name
Vallisneria americana

Vallisneria americana, commonly called wild celery, water-celery, tape grass, or eelgrass,[2] is a plant in the family Hydrocharitaceae, the "tape-grasses". V. americana is a fresh water species that can tolerate salt, living in salinities varying from fresh water (0 parts per thousand) to 18 parts per thousand, although the limit to the salt tolerance is unclear, and is generally dependent on the duration and intensity of the plants’ exposure to the saline water.[3][4][5] V. americana is a deep rooted plant with leaves, approximately one inch wide, with the ability to rise two or more meters above the clustered base of the plant.[6][7] Contrary to the implications of one of its common names, wild celery bears little to no resemblance to the celery used as a vegetable. V. americana grows under water and is consumed by various animals, including the canvasback. The plants themselves are long, limp, flat, and have a green mid-ridge.

It is native to Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Venezuela.[2] It is found primarily in eastern North America, occurring west from Nova Scotia to South Dakota and South to the Gulf of Mexico. It has also been reported in the western states of Washington, Nebraska, New Mexico and Arizona.[6]

V. americana is cultivated for the aquarium trade, where it is a sold as a background plant.[8]

  1. ^ Maiz-Tome, L. (2016). "Vallisneria americana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T64326246A67731212. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64326246A67731212.en. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Vallisneria americana". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. ^ Doering, P; Chamberlain, R; Donohue, K; Steinman, A (1999). "Effect of salinity on the growth of Vallisneria americana Michx. From the Caloosahatchee estuary, Florida". Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Science. 62 (2): 89–105.
  4. ^ Boustany, Ronald; Michot, Thomas; Moss, Rebecca (2010). "Effects of salinity and light on biomass and growth of Vallisneria americana from Lower St. Johns River, FL, USA". Wetlands Ecology and Management. 18 (2): 203–217. doi:10.1007/s11273-009-9160-8. S2CID 24446372.
  5. ^ Lauer, N; Yeager, M; Kahn, A; Dobberfhl, D; Ross, C (2011). "The effects of short term salinity exposure on the sublethal stress respons of Vallisneria americana Michx (Hydrocharitaceae)". Aquatic Botany. 95 (3): 207–213. doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2011.06.002.
  6. ^ a b Korschgen, Carl; Green, William (1988). American Wildcelery (Vallisneria americana):Ecological Considerations for Restoration (19 ed.). La Crosse, Wisconsin: Fish and Wildlife Technical Report. pp. 1–24.
  7. ^ Wigand, Cathleen; Wehr, John; Limburg, Karin; Gorham, Bernadette; Longergan, Sean; Findlay, Stuart (2000). "Effects of Vallisneria americana (L.) on community structure and ecosystem function in lake mesocosms". Hydrobiologia. 418: 137–146. doi:10.1023/a:1003808220424. S2CID 31959546.
  8. ^ Wilson, Rhonda. "Vallisneria". Tropical Fish Hobbyist. TFH Publications. Retrieved 10 December 2013.