About Subularia aquatica L.
Subularia aquatica L., commonly called water awlwort, is an aquatic herb belonging to the mustard family Brassicaceae. This small plant grows from a corm that sits above a network of bright white roots. It produces awl-shaped leaves that are generally cylindrical and taper to a sharp point. Tiny flowers, each only around one millimeter long, grow on stalks. Flowers that emerge above the water surface open, while flowers that stay submerged remain closed and self-pollinate. Its seeds are contained within small inflated pods. Two varieties of water awlwort are recognized: Subularia aquatica var. aquatica is native to Eurasia, and Subularia aquatica var. americana is native to northern North America. A Mexican subspecies may also exist. Water awlwort grows in shallow cold water bodies including ponds, marshes, and peat bogs, and it often grows in gravel or sand substrates. Its confirmed native distribution is as follows: In the Palearctic realm, it is native to West Siberia (Siberia), Kamchatka Oblast (Soviet Far East), Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Kaliningrad, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom (Northern Europe), Belgium, Germany (Middle Europe), Belarus, Central Russia, Central Black Earth, Northern Russia, North Caucasus, Northwestern Russia, Volga, Urals, Volga-Vyatka (East Europe), Bulgaria (Southeastern Europe), and France, Spain (Southwestern Europe). In the Nearctic realm, it is native to Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory, Greenland, Alaska (Subarctic America), Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec (Eastern Canada), British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan (Western Canada), Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont (Northeastern United States), Minnesota (North-Central United States), Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming (Northwestern United States), and California, Utah (Southwestern United States).
