Soooo ... not at all confident on the previous determination of Elodea nuttallii I headed for Rosyth public park and Inverkeithing and swung a hook into both. Nuttall's Waterweed, Elodea nuttallii, was abundant in the public pond. Here it is below, with true whorls of reflexed leaves below and looking similar to Canadian Waterweed, E.canadiensis, at the growing tip. This is entirely different beast to Curly Waterweed, Lagarosiphon major.
Both Elodeas are pretty open at the tip, whereas Lagarosiphon is very crowded, opening as it grows. The stem of Lagarosiphon is far more robust and is full of channels (presumably the siphons of the name). Also discernable is that the leaves of Lagarosiphon are not actually whorled, but rather spiral. Even at a distance the whorled nature of Elodea is readily apparent. Collins Flower Guide has a very good pic of all three together
Elodea canadiensis:
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| Cullaloe LNR |
Elodea nuttallii:
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| Rosyth Public Park |
Lagarosiphon major:
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| Prestonhill Quarry |
Fantastic stuff! There's a (admittedly slimish) chance I could swing by on Tue eve/Wednesday daytime this week, else I could drop in when I'm finished messing about in England and on my way back to Skye. Or just leave it until the spring. Either way, it seems that your home hectad is a 'must visit' botanical hotspot!
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