Potamogeton berchtoldiiFieber

Small Pondweedsmall pondweedlittle aguja pondweed

WFO wfo-0000769744 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 4 observations

This species has been photographed under an open licence only 4 times, so some figures below are different views of the same plant, taken on the same day, rather than different individuals. They are usually different parts of it: the leaf, the flower, the bark.

Potamogeton berchtoldii, photographed by Марина Садыкова
fig. a Марина Садыкова, CC BY 4.0 / 2022-06-08 / obs. 204432170

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 124 botanical countries

Regions where Potamogeton berchtoldii is native: Algeria, Libya, Altay, Amur, Buryatiya, China North-Central, China South-Central, Chita, Iran, Iraq, Irkutsk, Japan, Kamchatka, Khabarovsk, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Kuril Is., Lebanon-Syria, Magadan, Manchuria, Nansei-shoto, North Caucasus, Palestine, Primorye, Sakhalin, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, Tuva, West Siberia, Yakutiya, East Himalaya, West Himalaya, Albania, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Corse, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, Finland, Føroyar, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Krym, Netherlands, North European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Norway, NW. Balkan Pen., Poland, Romania, Sardegna, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Labrador, Louisiana, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Newfoundland, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward I., Québec, Rhode I., Saskatchewan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yukon AlgeriaLibyaAltayAmurBuryatiyaChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChitaIranIraqIrkutskJapanKamchatkaKhabarovskKrasnoyarskLebanon-SyriaMagadanManchuriaNorth CaucasusPalestinePrimoryeSakhalinTadzhikistanTranscaucasusTürkiyeTuvaWest SiberiaYakutiyaEast HimalayaWest HimalayaAlbaniaAustriaBaltic StatesBelarusBelgiumBulgariaCentral European RussiaCorseCzechia-SlovakiaDenmarkEast European RussiaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyKrymNetherlandsNorth European RussiaNorthwest European RussiaNorwayNW. Balkan Pen.PolandRomaniaSouth European RussiaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTürkiye-in-EuropeUkraineAlabamaAlaskaAlbertaArizonaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutFloridaIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKentuckyLabradorLouisianaMaineManitobaMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMontanaNevadaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkNewfoundlandNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNorthwest TerritoriesNova ScotiaNunavutOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaPrince Edward I.QuébecSaskatchewanSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVermontVirginiaWashingtonWisconsinWyomingYukon KoreaNansei-shotoFøroyarSardegnaDistrict of ColumbiaRhode I.
Native distribution of Potamogeton berchtoldii, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Alabama ALA NORTHERN AMERICA
Alaska ASK
Alberta ABT
Arizona ARI
Arkansas ARK
British Columbia BRC
California CAL
Colorado COL
Connecticut CNT
District of Columbia WDC
Florida FLA
Idaho IDA
Illinois ILL
Indiana INI
Iowa IOW
Kentucky KTY
Labrador LAB
Louisiana LOU
Maine MAI
Manitoba MAN
Maryland MRY
Massachusetts MAS
Michigan MIC
Minnesota MIN
Mississippi MSI
Montana MNT
Nevada NEV
New Brunswick NBR
New Hampshire NWH
New Jersey NWJ
New York NWY
Newfoundland NFL
North Carolina NCA
North Dakota NDA
Northwest Territories NWT
Nova Scotia NSC
Nunavut NUN
Ohio OHI
Oklahoma OKL
Ontario ONT
Oregon ORE
Pennsylvania PEN
Prince Edward I. PEI
Québec QUE
Rhode I. RHO
Saskatchewan SAS
South Carolina SCA
Tennessee TEN
Texas TEX
Vermont VER
Virginia VRG
Washington WAS
Wisconsin WIS
Wyoming WYO
Yukon YUK
Albania ALB EUROPE
Austria AUT
Baltic States BLT
Belarus BLR
Belgium BGM
Bulgaria BUL
Central European Russia RUC
Corse COR
Czechia-Slovakia CZE
Denmark DEN
East European Russia RUE
Finland FIN
Føroyar FOR
France FRA
Germany GER
Great Britain GRB
Greece GRC
Hungary HUN
Iceland ICE
Ireland IRE
Italy ITA
Krym KRY
Netherlands NET
North European Russia RUN
Northwest European Russia RUW
Norway NOR
NW. Balkan Pen. YUG
Poland POL
Romania ROM
Sardegna SAR
South European Russia RUS
Spain SPA
Sweden SWE
Switzerland SWI
Türkiye-in-Europe TUE
Ukraine UKR
Altay ALT ASIA-TEMPERATE
Amur AMU
Buryatiya BRY
China North-Central CHN
China South-Central CHC
Chita CTA
Iran IRN
Iraq IRQ
Irkutsk IRK
Japan JAP
Kamchatka KAM
Khabarovsk KHA
Korea KOR
Krasnoyarsk KRA
Kuril Is. KUR
Lebanon-Syria LBS
Magadan MAG
Manchuria CHM
Nansei-shoto NNS
North Caucasus NCS
Palestine PAL
Primorye PRM
Sakhalin SAK
Tadzhikistan TZK
Transcaucasus TCS
Türkiye TUR
Tuva TVA
West Siberia WSB
Yakutiya YAK
Algeria ALG AFRICA
Libya LBY
East Himalaya EHM ASIA-TROPICAL
West Himalaya WHM

Not drawn on the map: Kuril Is., Great Britain. We hold no public-domain boundary for these regions, so they are listed rather than guessed at.

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Where it actually grows measured, from 239 observations

Condition 5th percentile Median 95th percentile
Coldest month, mean daily low -21.2 °C -10.7 °C 1.5 °C
Warmest month, mean daily high 17.7 °C 23.4 °C 28.2 °C
Annual rainfall 481 mm 802 mm 1,428 mm
Rainfall in the driest quarter 55 mm 137 mm 305 mm

It is found where winters are severely cold. This is not care advice and it is not a forecast. It is a measurement: we sampled the climate at every one of the 239 research-grade observations of Potamogeton berchtoldii that carry a coordinate, and this is the range those places actually span. The 5th and 95th percentiles are used rather than the minimum and maximum, because a single cultivated specimen in a heated conservatory should not widen a tropical plant's range to the Arctic.

This is not a hardiness zone. A USDA zone is the average annual extreme minimum temperature. The figure above is the mean daily minimum of the coldest month, which is a different quantity and is typically far warmer. Reading one as the other would place a plant several zones too warm, so we do not publish a hardiness zone, because we do not have one.

Also published as 35 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Potamogeton berchtoldii f. ramosissimus Fieber
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii f. simplex Fieber
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii subsp. tenuissimus (Mert. & W.D.J.Koch) Calder & Roy L.Taylor
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii var. acuminatus Fieber
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii var. berchtoldii
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii var. colpophilus Fernald
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii var. lacunatus (Hagstr.) Fernald
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii var. major Nakai
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii var. mucronatus Fielding
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii var. mucronatus Fieber
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii var. polyphyllus (Morong) Fernald
  • Potamogeton berchtoldii var. tenuissimus (Mert. & W.D.J.Koch) Fernald
  • Potamogeton clystocarpus Fernald
  • Potamogeton fieberi Rouy
  • Potamogeton gemmiparus (J.W.Robbins) Morong
  • Potamogeton lacunatus Hagstr.
  • Potamogeton lacunatus f. novae-angliae Hagstr.
  • Potamogeton pusillus f. brevirostris Hagstr.
  • Potamogeton pusillus f. pygmaeus Hagstr.
  • Potamogeton pusillus f. tenuissimus (Mert. & W.D.J.Koch) Hagstr.
  • Potamogeton pusillus prol. berchtoldii (Fieber) Rouy
  • Potamogeton pusillus prol. tenuissimus (Hook.f.) Rouy
  • Potamogeton pusillus subsp. gemmiparus (J.W.Robbins) R.R.Haynes & Hellq.
  • Potamogeton pusillus subsp. tenuissimus (Mert. & W.D.J.Koch) R.R.Haynes & Hellq.

and 11 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.