Fries' Pondweed
Potamogeton friesii
Potamogeton friesii, known as flat-stalked pondweed, or Fries' pondweed, is an aquatic plant in the genus Potamogeton. It grows mainly in mesotrophic to eutrophic rivers, lakes, ponds and ditches, rarely in brackish water.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potamogeton_friesii
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Order
Alismatales
Family
Potamogetonaceae
Genus
Potamogeton
Fries' Pondweed belongs to the family Potamogetonaceae, order Alismatales, within the Liliopsida class.
Species Profile
Potamogeton friesii, known as flat-stalked pondweed, or Fries' pondweed, is an aquatic plant in the genus Potamogeton. It grows mainly in mesotrophic to eutrophic rivers, lakes, ponds and ditches, rarely in brackish water. It occurs in North America, Europe, western Asia and a few scattered locations elsewhere in Asia.
Fries' Pondweed faces severe decline primarily due to habitat degradation and loss of suitable freshwater environments. Water pollution, eutrophication from agricultural runoff, and physical disturbance of aquatic habitats have dramatically reduced available habitat for this critically endangered aquatic plant.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Potamogeton friesii occurs predominantly in North America (Canada, northern USA), Europe (Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, British Isles, NE and central France, Belarus, Ukraine, European Russia, Pyrenees, Carpathians), There are isolated populations in southern Europe (Corsica, N Italy, Balkans) and in Asia (N China, Russia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan).
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Fries' Pondweed faces severe decline primarily due to habitat degradation and loss of suitable freshwater environments. Water pollution, eutrophication from agricultural runoff, and physical disturbance of aquatic habitats have dramatically reduced available habitat for this critically endangered aquatic plant.
Agricultural runoff
Habitat loss and degradation
Water pollution and eutrophication
Climate change impacts on aquatic systems
Physical disturbance of water bodies
National vs Global Threat Status
How this species is assessed at the national level compared to its IUCN global status (CR).
| Country | National Status | Global Status | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | LCLeast Concern | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
| EU | LCLeast Concern | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
National Red List data sourced from the National Red List Project (nationalredlist.org, ZSL) and country-specific Red List authorities.
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
National Red Lists: ZSL (2025). National Red List. Zoological Society of London. Available at: https://www.nationalredlist.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Fries' Pondweed (Potamogeton friesii). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/fries-pondweed