Montane.  Ponds.  Summer.
Grindstone Lake, August 25, 2007.

Wispy Sparganium angustifolium stems and leaves float in undulating patterns on mountain ponds.  The plant is fairly common on shallow ponds in the mountainous areas of the Four Corners and is also found from Alaska to California to Colorado, across Canada, and in Europe and Asia. 

Linnaeus named this genus in 1753 and the species was named by Andre Michaux in 1803 from Canadian specimens.  "Sparganium" is from the Greek for "swaddling band" and apparently refers to the long narrow leaves.  "Angustifolium" is Latin for "narrow leaves".

Montane.  Ponds.  Summer.
Grindstone Lake, August 25, 2007.

Montane.  Ponds.  Summer.
Grindstone Lake, August 25, 2007.

Sparganium angustifolium has two-to-five male pollen bearing balls of flowers at the top of the flowering stem and one female ovule bearing ball of flowers near the bottom.