Water-plantain - Alisma plantago-aquatica

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Alternative names
Common Water-plantain
Description

Medium to tall plant, leaves lanceolate to oval, pointed, with a truncate, or rather heart shaped base, stalked, mostly aerial. Flowers white with three petals, sometimes with a purplish tinge, small 6 to 10 mm, styles erect.

Similar Species

Alisma lanceolatum

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Slow moving fresh water.

When to see it

June to August.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Widespread and frequent in much of Britain but rather rare in parts of the north.

VC55 Status

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 306 of the 617 tetrads.

  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    26 August 2006
  • David Gould
    Aylestone Meadows, Leicester.
    18 July 2015
  • Graham Calow
    Ellistown
    27 June 2011
  • Graham Calow
    Witherley
    15 July 2015
  • David Nicholls
    Battram SUD ponds
    14 September 2022
  • Peter Smith
    Aylestone Meadows
    10 July 2013
  • Graham Calow
    Witherley
    15 July 2015
    seeds capsules

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species data profile ?

Species profile

Common names
Water-plantain, Common Water-Plantain
Species group:
Wildflowers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Alismatales
Family:
Alismataceae
Records on NatureSpot:
105
First record:
01/01/1979 (Patricia Evans)
Last record:
16/08/2023 (Hollingworth, Jane)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records

  • Graham Calow
    Fosse Meadows, Sharnford
    03 August 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Fosse Meadows, Sharnford
    03 August 2014
  • Ron.stevens
    Broughton Astley
    02 July 2011
  • Peter Smith
    Aylestone Meadows
    10 July 2013
  • Graham Calow
    Witherley
    15 July 2015
    leaves
  • David Nicholls
    Battram SUD ponds
    14 September 2022
  • Graham Calow
    Fosse Meadows, Sharnford
    03 August 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Higham on the Hill
    25 May 2015