ILLINOIS PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK ILPIN INFORMATION ON Ceratophyllum demersum CLASS: DICOTYLEDENAE ORDER: NYMPHAEALES FAMILY: CERATOPHYLLACEAE SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ceratophyllum demersum AUTHORITY: L. COMMON NAMES: COONTAIL HORNWORT SYNONOMY: None PLANTS CODE: CEDE4 NATURAL COMMUNITIES: WETLAND SEEP & SPRING SPRING COMMUNITY LAKE AND POND POND LAKE NATURAL IMPOUNDMENT BOTTOMLAND ARTIFICIAL IMPOUNDMN STREAM CREEK LOW-GRADIENT SAF FOREST COVER TYPE: NO NATURAL DIVISION: UNAVAILABLE COUNTIES: ADAMS ALEXANDER BOONE CALHOUN CARROLL CASS CHAMPAIGN CLARK CLAY COLES COOK CRAWFORD DEKALB DEWITT DOUGLAS DUPAGE EDGAR EFFINGHAM FAYETTE FORD FRANKLIN FULTON GREENE GRUNDY HAMILTON HANCOCK HENDERSON HENRY IROQUOIS JACKSON JEFFERSON JERSEY JO DAVIESS JOHNSON KANE KANKAKEE KENDALL KNOX LAKE LASALLE LAWRENCE LEE MCDONOUGH MCHENRY MCLEAN MACON MACOUPIN MADISON MARION MARSHALL MASON MASSAC MENARD MONROE MONTGOMERY MORGAN MOULTRIE OGLE PEORIA PERRY PIATT PULASKI PUTNAM RANDOLPH ROCK ISLAND ST. CLAIR SCHUYLER STEPHENSON TAZEWELL UNION VERMILION WABASH WARREN WAYNE WHITESIDE WILL WILLIAMSON WINNEBAGO WOODFORD GROWTH FORM: Dicot-herb TAXONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS: LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Whorled LEAF TYPE: Simple LEAF MARGIN: Serrate Lobed (palmately) INFLORESCENCE: Solitary- few FLOWER STRUCTURE: Incomplete (no petals) (no sepals) FLOWER COLOR: Green FLOWER PLACEMENT: Hypogynous FRUIT: Achene DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC COMMENTS: Leaves finely dissected with bristle tipped teeth. GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: ORIGIN: Native POPULATION DYNAMICS: STATE STATUS: Not listed FEDERAL STATUS: Not listed COMMONNESS: Common ENDEMIC: NOT-ENDEMIC BIOLOGIC: HABIT: Forb LIFE CYCLE: Perennial REPRODUCTION: Sexual Vegetative FLOWERING PERIOD: MONTH BEGINNING- 7 MONTH END- 9 TROPHIC STATUS: Autotrophic C02 FIXATION: C3 SEX: Unisexual -monoecious ECODISTRIBUTION COMMENTS: Submerged or floating in muck-bottomed sloughs; quiet waters; ditches; calcareous water. ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS: DISTURBANCE INDICATOR: No SOIL CHEMISTRY INDICATOR: None GROWTH OF SPECIES IN VARIOUS CONDITIONS: GRAVEL No data entered SAND No data entered SANDY LOAM No data entered LOAM No data entered CLAY LOAM No data entered CLAY No data entered DENSE CLAY No data entered ORGANIC SOIL No data entered NEUTRAL pH No data entered ACIDIC SOIL No data entered EXTREMELY ACID No data entered SALINE SOIL No data entered SODIC SOIL No data entered SODIC-SALINE No data entered ROCKY OUTCROPS No data entered GENTLE SLOPES Good MODERATE SLOPE Poor STEEP SLOPES Poor HABITAT: submerged aquatic FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS: MYCORRHIZAE: no HUMAN RELATIONSHIP DATA: SHOWY FLOWERS: NO WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK INFORMATION: FOOD VALUE: DEER VALUE: Unknown UPLAND GAME VALUE: Unknown WATERFOWL VALUE: Yes - Fruit Flowers Leaves Stems Buds SMALL NON-GAME BIRD VALUE: Unknown SMALL MAMMAL VALUE: Unknown AQUATIC MAMMAL VALUE: Unknown FISH VALUE: Yes - Flowers Leaves Stems Buds COVER VALUE: DEER: No data WATERFOWL: No data SMALL MAMMAL: No data FISH: Good SMALL BIRD: No data UPLAND GAME: No data AQUATIC MAMMAL: Good WILDLIFE COMMENTS: The seeds of this species are used as food by marshbirds and shorebirds. LIVESTOCK PALATABILITY DATA: CATTLE FORAGE: No data SHEEP FORAGE: No data HORSE FORAGE: No data GOAT FORAGE: No data ENERGY VALUE: Low PROTEIN VALUE: Low POISONOUS (LIVESTOCK): No REVEGETATION PLANTINGS: ESTABLISHMENT REQUIREMENTS: Easy WEEDINESS: Non-weedy SEED AVAILABILITY: Fair PROCUREMENT COMMENTS: 1, 11. PROPAGATION COMMENTS: It is recommended that live plants be broadcast at a rate of 6 bushels/acre (Anon., 1981). REFERENCES: Mohlenbrock, R. H., ed. 1975. Guide to the vascular flora of Illinois. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 494 pp. Jones, G. N. 1963. Flora of Illinois. Third ed. American Midland Naturalist Monograph 7. University of Notre Dame, Indiana. 401 pp. Steyermark, J. A. 1963. Flora of Missouri. Iowa State University Press, Ames. 1725 pp. Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist. 1963. Manual of vascular plants of north- eastern United States and adjacent Canada. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York. 810 pp. Fernald, M. L. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. 8th ed. American Book Co., New York. 1632 pp. Swink, F., and G. S. Wilhelm. 1979. Plants of the Chicago region. Third ed. The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois. 922 pp. Mohlenbrock, R. H. 1967-continuing. The illustrated flora of Illinois. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. Anon. 1981. Illinois plants for habitat restoration. Illinois Department of Conservation, Mining Program. Springfield, Illinois. 61 pp. Downton, W. J. S. 1975. The occurrence of C4 photosynthesis among plants. Photosynthetica 9(1): 96-105. END OF DATA FOR SPECIES Ceratophyllum demersum ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ILPIN was developed by Louis Iverson*, with data compiled by David Ketzner and Jeanne Karnes Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820 *currently employed by USDA Forest Service, 359 Main Rd., Delaware, OH 43015