Fries' Pondweed
CR

Fries' Pondweed

Potamogeton friesii

UnknownLCEULCEU

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potamogeton_friesii

Overview

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.

Threat summary

Habitat

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).

FRESHWATER· major

Other threatened species in Potamogetonaceae

Opposite-leaved PondweedEN

Opposite-leaved Pondweed

Groenlandia densa

Unknown
Potamogeton angustifoliusCR

Potamogeton angustifolius

Unknown
Horned PoolmatVU

Horned Poolmat

Zannichellia palustris

Unknown
Reddish PondweedCR

Reddish Pondweed

Potamogeton alpinus

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Fries' Pondweed classified as Critically Endangered?
Fries' Pondweed is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. 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.
Where does Fries' Pondweed live?
Fries' Pondweed occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Fries' Pondweed?
The main threats to Fries' Pondweed are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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