Ceratophyllum demersum

Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens from wild populations. Cultivated occurrences are not mapped. View county names by placing the cursor over the map.

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Family:	CERATOPHYLLACEAE
Species:	Ceratophyllum demersum L.
Common Name:	COONTAIL
Status:	Native, OBL (NWPL)
Specimen:	View details of USF Herbarium specimens

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Division
Class
Sub Class
Order	CERATOPHYLLALES
Family	CERATOPHYLLACEAE
Genus	Ceratophyllum
Species	Ceratophyllum demersum L. - COONTAIL

Citation

Citation	CERATOPHYLLUM DEMERSUM Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 992. 1753.
Basionym:	**
Type:	Cult. in Holland, Herb. Clifford 446(Ceratophyllum 1) (lectotype: BM). Lectotypified by Aziz, in Nasir & Ali, Fl. W. Pakistan 70: 4. 1974.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Source

County	Herbaria	Literature Citation (If Applicable)
Alachua	USF
Bay	USF
Brevard	USF
Broward	FLAS
Citrus	USF
Collier	USF
Columbia	FLAS
Duval	USF
Franklin	FSU
Gilchrist	FLAS
Hardee	USF
Hendry	FTG
Hernando	USF
Hillsborough	USF
Jackson	FSU
Jefferson	FSU
Lake	USF
Leon	FLAS
Levy	FLAS
Manatee	USF
Marion	FLAS
Miami-Dade	USF
Monroe Mainland	USF
Okeechobee	USF
Orange	FLAS
Palm Beach	USF
Pinellas	USF
Polk	USF
Putnam	FLAS
Sumter	USF
Volusia	USF
Wakulla	USF
Walton	FLAS

Synonyms

– Denotes synonyms that are applicable to the state. Show these synonyms only

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym	Type
Ceratophyllum asperum	Ceratophyllum asperum Lamarck, Fl. Franc. 2: 196. 1779 ("1778"), nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Ceratophyllum demersum Linnaeus 1753.
Ceratophyllum cornutum	Ceratophyllum cornutum Richard, Ann. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 16: 299. 1810, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Ceratophyllum demersum Linnaeus 1753.
Ceratophyllum demersum var. commune	Ceratophyllum demersum Linnaeus, var. commune A. Gray, Manual, ed. 2. 383. 1856, nom. inadmiss.	BASIONYM: Ceratophyllum demersum Linnaeus 1753.
Ceratophyllum tricorne	Ceratophyllum tricorne Dumortier, Fl. Belg. 165. 1827, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Ceratophyllum demersum Linnaeus 1753.
Dichotophyllum demersum	Dichotophyllum demersum (Linnaeus) Moench, Methodus 345. 1794.	BASIONYM: Ceratophyllum demersum Linnaeus 1753.
Ceratophyllum apiculatum	Ceratophyllum apiculatum Chamisso, Linnaea 4: 505. 1829.
Ceratophyllum demersum var. oxyacanthum	Ceratophyllum demersum Linnaeus, var. oxyacanthum (Chamisso) K. Schumann, in Martius, Fl. Bras. 3(3): 748. 1894.	BASIONYM: Ceratophyllum oxyacanthum Chamisso 1829.
Ceratophyllum oxyacanthum	Ceratophyllum oxyacanthum Chamisso, Linnaea 4: 504. 1829.
Ceratophyllum tricuspidatum	Ceratophyllum tricuspidatum Dumortier, Fl. Belg. 165. 1827.		TYPE: BELGIUM:
Ceratophyllum unicorne	Ceratophyllum unicorne Dumortier, Fl. Belg. 165. 1827.		TYPE: BELGIUM:
Ceratophyllum verticillatum	Ceratophyllum verticillatum Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. ed. 1832. 3: 624. 1832.		TYPE: INDIA:
Ceratophyllum vulgare var. oxyacanthum	Ceratophyllum vulgare Schleiden, var. oxyacanthum Schleiden, Linnaea 11: 541. 1837.

Specimens

Country	State	County	Date	Specimen	Notes
USA	Florida	Collier Co.	04 Mar 1967	O. K. Lakela 30659
USA	Florida	Monroe Co.	07 Apr 1952	G. R. Cooley 900
USA	Florida	Collier Co.	11 May 1958	W. G. Atwater M-43
USA	Florida	Citrus Co.	11 Apr 1958	G. R. Cooley 5905
USA	Florida	Wakulla Co.	17 Feb 1956	R. K. Godfrey 54358
USA	Florida	Hernando Co.	27 Jun 1958	R. Kral 7088
USA	Florida	Palm Beach Co.	18 Dec 1967	W. L. McCart 9432
USA	Florida	Bay Co.	10 Dec 1972	R. K. Godfrey 72282
USA	Florida	Miami-Dade Co.	20 Jul 1964	O. K. Lakela 27321
USA	Florida	Monroe Co.	28 May 1966	O. K. Lakela 29921
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	03 May 1974	A.G. Shuey s.n.
USA	Florida	Hernando Co.	25 Apr 1958	G. R. Cooley 6020
USA	Florida	Brevard Co.	17 Aug 1972	J. E. Poppleton s.n.
USA	Florida	Pinellas Co.	21 May 1988	K. Kuhlman s.n.
USA	Florida	Manatee Co.	01 Aug 2005	C. Becker WC0631
USA	Florida	Lake Co.	31 May 1984	R. F. Daubenmire s.n.
USA	Florida	Lake Co.	25 Oct 1986	R. F. Daubenmire s.n.
USA	Florida	Collier Co.	25 Jul 1980	J. H. Wiersema 1995
USA	Florida	Volusia Co.	31 Dec 2005	J. M. Kunzer 1270
USA	Florida	Alachua Co.	22 Mar 1982	J. C. Easterday 826
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	20 Mar 1999	J. Myers 316
USA	Florida	Sumter Co.	28 Jun 1984	R. P. Wunderlin 9785
USA	Florida	Pinellas Co.	23 Aug 1984	G. Fleming 3708
USA	Florida	Hardee Co.	18 Nov 2003	B. F. Hansen 12986
USA	Florida	Okeechobee Co.	25 Sep 1986	B. F. Hansen 11281
USA	Florida	Volusia Co.	15 Mar 2006	J. M. Kunzer 1441
USA	Florida	Duval Co.	03 Jun 2013	G. Alvarez 1
USA	Louisiana	Lafourche Par.	09 Sep 1978	M. Alleman s.n.
USA	Louisiana	Claiborne Par.	23 Jul 1983	D. D. Taylor 4347
USA	South Carolina	Allendale Co.	10 Oct 1956	C. R. Bell 5207
USA	Louisiana	Ouachita Par.	10 Jun 1971	R. D. Thomas 23444
USA	North Carolina	Wayne Co.	28 Aug 1957	A. E. Radford 28743
USA	South Carolina	Clarendon Co.	23 Sep 1983	C. A. Aulbach-Smith 2809
Mexico	Baja California		05 Sep 1931	F. R. Fosberg S 5735
Mexico	Tamaulipas		03 Jan 1980	J. H. Wiersema 1367	Sp. Cond. 1230 mmhos/cm; pH 7.1; Tot Alk 280 mg/1.
Panama	Canal Zone Prov.		28 Feb 1974	M. Nee 10194
El Salvador	San Miguel Dept.		03 Dec 1957	J. A. Lagos 1960
India	Delhi		Oct 1961	R. K. Tandon s.n.
Sweden	Skane Co.		20 Sep 1893	E. Nordström s.n.
USA	Florida	Monroe Co.	10 Feb 1974	R. E. Mossman 1217-1
USA	Oklahoma	McCurtain Co.	27 Jun 1976	R. J. Tyrl 1159
USA	Illinois	McHenry Co.	07 Jul 2011	S. R. Hill 38719
USA	Illinois	Cass Co.	12 Sep 1995	S. R. Hill 27517
USA	Oklahoma	Payne Co.	14 Sep 1962	N. A. Anderson 30
USA	Iowa	Poweshiek Co.	27 Jul 1952	N. H. Russell 7275212
USA	Illinois	Kendall Co.	01 Sep 2005	S. R. Hill 36679
USA	Oklahoma	Roger Mills Co.	28 Jul 1979	R. W. Couch 92
USA	New York		28 Jun 1919	L. Griscom 9349
USA	Vermont	Chittenden Co.	13 Aug 1922	C. H. Knowlton
USA	Oregon	Lane Co.	01 Jun 1953	A. N. Steward 6158
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	04 Jun 2013	R. Rowe AR0052
USA	Florida		30 Sep 1987	C. M. Owsley s.n.
USA	Florida	Polk Co.	09 Feb 1959	M. L. Gilbert 1145
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	07 Jul 1965	M. L. Gilbert 6460
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	07 Jul 1965	M. L. Gilbert 6455

Listed Status: Florida

Listed Status:	(Florida):Source - Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Chapter 5B-40, Florida Administrative Code. 1998, amended.
Endangered:	A species of plants native to the state that are in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of plants continue, and includes all species determined to be endangered or threatened pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Threatened:	Listed as Threatened Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Defined as species of plants native to the state that are in rapid decline in the number of plants within the state, but which have not so decreased in such number as to cause them to be endangered.

Listed Status: US

Listed Status: US	(U.S.) Source - List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Endangered:	Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened:	Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

WAP: Wetland AssessmentProcedure

Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP): Source - Southwest Florida Water Management District, Wetland Assessment Procedure Instruction Manual for Isolated Wetlands (March 2005).

AD:	Adaptive Species. Plant species designated as FAC or Upland by DEP, but commonly seen in the transition zone in limited numbers.
D:	Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the deep zone, and designated either FAC or OBL by DEP.
OD:	Outer Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the outer deep zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
T:	Transition Species. Plant species commonly found in the transition zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
U:	Upland Species. Plant species that are not expected to be seen in wetlands.

ANY - WAP critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with WAP designations
No - Show results without WAP designations

FISC: Florida Invasive Species Council

FISC:

Source - Florida Invasive Species Council's 2017 List of Florida's Most Invasive Species

Category I - Species that are invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

Category II - Species that have shown a potential to disrupt native plant communities. These species may become ranked as Category I, but have not yet demonstrated disruption of natural Florida communities.

DEP: Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Status, Department of Environmental Regulation (DEP): Source - Delineation of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Surface Waters, Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code. 1994.

OBL:	Obligate wetland. Occurs almost always under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally found in non-wetlands
FAC:	Facultative. equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - Lichvar, R.W., M. Butterwick, N.C. Melvin, and W.N. Kirchner. 2014. The National Wetland Plant List: 2014 Update of Wetland Ratings. Phytoneuron 2014-41: 1-42.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland. Occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative. Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
FACU:	Facultative Upland. Usually occurs in non-wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%).
UPL:	Obligate Upland. Occurs in wetlands in another region, but occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the regions specified.

Persisting

Identifying species that appear as waifs or only periodically appear in the flora for a few seasons.

Any - Persisting critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with a Persisting value of Y
No - Show results without Persisting value of N

Duration

Annual:	Plants that perform their entire lifecycle within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves die at the end of the growing season. Over wintering seeds allow the next generation to appear.
Biennial:	A plant that is typically vegetative its first year and blooms the following season. Once it has bloomed and set seed, the plant dies. Garlic mustard is an example of a biennial.
Perennial:	These plants live for three or more seasons. Many perennials may not be mature enough to bloom during its first year. Perennial wildflowers re-grow each season from overwinter root material.

Category

Vascular:	Any of various plants that have the vascular tissues xylem and phloem. The vascular plants include all seed-bearing plants (the gymnosperms and angiosperms) and the pteridophytes (including the ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails). Also called tracheophyte.
Bryophyte:	A large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they have free-swimming sperm that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.
Lichen:	The mutualistic symbiotic association of a fungus with an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both. The fungal component of a lichen absorbs water and nutrients from the surroundings and provides a suitable environment for the alga or cyanobacterium. These live protected among the dense fungal hyphae and produce carbohydrates for the fungus by photosynthesis. Owing to this partnership, lichens can thrive in harsh environments such as mountaintops and polar regions. The more familiar lichens grow slowly as crusty patches, but lichens are found in a variety of forms, such as the tall, plantlike reindeer moss. The association between the different organisms in a lichen is so close that lichens are routinely referred to as a single organism, and scientists classify lichens using the name of the fungal component.

(Definitions from: American Heritage Science Dictionary)

Growth Habit

Intro paragraph to be provided by New York.

Vine:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Shrub:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Tree:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Et cetera:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.

State Rank

This numeric rank provides the relative rarity for each species based on a scale from 1 (very rare) to 5 (common). These ranks carry no legal status.

S1 - Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state.
S2 - Typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in the state.
S3 - Typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in the state.
S4 - Apparently secure in the state.
S5 - Demonstrably secure in the state.
SE - State exotic or non-native.
SH - Historically known from the state, but not seen in the past 15 years.
SNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. This is mainly those species which are now excluded from flora for various reasons.
SNR - Not yet ranked.
SX - Apparently extirpated from the state.

Global Rank

Each species' global rank is determined by NatureServe. These ranks carry no legal weight. The global rank reflects the species worldwide rarity.

G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences), or very few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or especially vulnerable to extinction because of some factor of its biology.
G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G3 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G4 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
GH - Historically known, with the expectation that it might be rediscovered.
GNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. NatureServe does not typically rank hybrid species.
GNR - Not yet ranked.
GX - Species believed to be extinct.

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Filter by County - Counties to Exclude - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will not be found within at least one of the selected counties.
All - An All search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean And. Plant species returned will not be found within any of the selected counties.

Associated Ecological Communities

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Richard Wunderlin or Bruce Hansen, Alan Franck, or Karla Alvarado

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Citation Information:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2025. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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Definition: Vouchered Specimen

A voucher specimen is a pressed and thoroughly dried plant sample deposited in a herbarium, and is intended to be a permanent record supporting research purposes. A voucher may be a record of a plant's occurrence in a particular area, or a specific example of a plant used in a scientific investigation.

Proper vouchers display all the necessary attributes for complete identification of the plant, and are to be accompanied by accurate locality, habitat, collection time, and collector data.

Only plant populations vouchered by specimens deposited in Index Herbariorum http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ recognized herbaria are represented on this map.