A new record of potamogeton ×angustifolius J. Presl (potamogetonaceae) in japan

Abstract

Potamogeton ×angustifolius (P. gramineus × P. lucens) was newly recorded in Japan from a pond in Tsugaru-shi, Aomori Prefecture. The hybrid nothospecies was identified based on morphological observations and measurements, molecular analyses using cloned nuclear adhA gene and chloroplast rpl20– rps12 intergenic spacer, and pollen viability. The putative hybrid had morphological traits intermediate between P. gramineus and P. lucens, nuclear haplotypes matching those of the two parental lineages, and lower pollen viability than P. lucens (not compared with P. gramineus). The maternal lineage of the hybrid was presumed to be P. gramineus, based on chloroplast sequences. The hybrid characteristically shows well-branched stems in the upper part of shoots, as in P. gramineus, and both clearly petiolate and sessile submerged leaves with distinctive netted venation. Similar plants were collected in the 1980s from a ditch near the pond, suggesting that the hybrid may have been present for more than 30 years in this area.