Curly Leaf Pondweed has been found in Lake Winnepausaukee so we should be on the lookout for this exotic in Conway Lake.
Curly Leaf Pondweed has 4 inch long, 1/4 inch wide, curly-edged leaves with teeth present on the margins. It has a thick, hard, fruiting body on the top of the plant. This plant could be confused with clasping-leaf pondweed because the leaves are also curly. The difference is the presence of teeth on the margins of the leaves of curly-leaf pondweed.
Curlyleaf pondweed is active underneath clear ice, giving it a competitive advantage over other plants. It is generally the first pondweed to come up in spring, helping distinguish it from other native pondweeds. It dies in the mid-summer, and dead plants may accumulate on shorelines. The primary means of reproduction is through the production of hardy turions, hundreds of which can be produced by each plant (see photo at bottom of post).
Source: Wisconsin Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detector Handbook
Curly Leaf Pondweed collected by Cliff Cabral in West Pond, Parsonsfield, ME. Photo by Maria Gross.
Curly Leaf Pondweed collected by Cliff Cabral in West Pond, Parsonsfield, ME. Photo by Maria Gross. Circled areas are turions - the reproductive part of the plant.
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