Vallisneria americana Michx.

TAPEGRASS; AMERICAN EELGRASS

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It is unclear to what degree V. neotropicalis (type from Cuba) differs from V. americana (type along Mississippi River) or if they blend into one another. When V. neotropicalis was originally described by Victorin from western Cuba and Florida, he also tentatively applied the name V. americana to plants of central Cuba and Hispaniola. Populations of Vallisneria are concentrated in the Great Lakes region, Gulf Coast, and Pacific Northwest, with scattered occurrences between them. DNA sequences of ITS loci have shown that two taxa form a monophyletic clade (Les et al. 2008; Martin & Mort 2023). Within this clade, samples of northern V. americana (from Connecticut, Minnesota, and New Jersey) formed a group sister to a weakly supported group of putative V. neotropicalis (from Florida and cultivation of unknown provenance, and an unidentified umbellate specimen from Texas) (Les et al. 2008; Martin & Mort 2023). Lacunae refer to the vertical rows of cells adjacent to the midvein that are usualy hyaline and aerated.

Native OBL (NWPL)