Coiled Pondweed

Ruppia cirrhosa is an aquatic plant that thrives in brackish to saline environments such as coastal ditches, lakes, and lagoons. Its leaves are long and thin, often forming a dense layer beneath the water surface. The plant produces tiny, petal-less flowers, with pollen dispersed either by wind or water. The species is named for its coiled stalk connected to the fruiting inflorescence, a feature that is not commonly observed. It has a cosmopolitan distribution and is recorded in regions such as Alberta, British Columbia, and parts of Europe, as well as in several biogeographic realms including the Nearctic, Palaearctic, and Neotropical.