Species profile—Aponogeton bullosus
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Aponogetonaceae → Aponogeton bullosus
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Aponogetonaceae
- Scientific name
- Aponogeton bullosus H.Bruggen
- WildNet taxon ID
- 11218
- Alternate name(s)
- North Queenlsland lace
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Endangered
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) status
- Endangered
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- Yes
- Wetland status
- Wetland Indicator Species
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Aponogeton bullosus is a rooted, submerged, perennial aquatic plant (i.e. it reproduces more than once and lives for more than one year). Tubers up to 2cm long take root in the sand on the rocky dark stream bed. Leaf clusters emerge from the top of the tuber and are submersed. The leaves are green, linear to lance-shaped, narrow, semi-transparent, have prominent leaf veins, are strongly bullate (crinkled and blistered) and measure 7-50cm long by 0.5-2.5cm wide.
The flower stems are 8-30cm long and produce yellow, cone-shaped flower spikes up to 5cm long which mostly remain submersed. Fruits are elongated, have a short beaked top, and are 5-6mm long and 3-4mm wide. The clusters of fruit are typically quite short and conical, with usually all fruit developed.
The distinguishing characteristic of this species is the extremely blistered swellings on the leaves. This species retains the bract enclosing a flower spike longer than any other Australian species of Aponogeton. (Hellquist 1998; Stephens & Downing 2002; DEWHA 2008) - Habitat
- Aponogeton bullosus in a fully aquatic plant, growing on granite sand in cool rapidly flowing freshwater rivers and mountain streams. The species grows in both sunny and shady positions. (Hellquist 1998; DEWHA 2008)
- Reproduction
- Flowering and fruiting occurs between June and October. Flowers may emerge above the water surface for a short time for pollination and fall below the surface to develop fruit. When the flowers do not emerge they still produce fruit. (Hellquist 1998)
- Threatening processes
- Subjected to excessive collection and now only one population remains. The species is short lived and difficult to maintain in cultivation, thus demand for replacement plants is maintained.
- Management documents
- Conservation and management of protected plants in trade in Queensland 1995-1998. Department of Environment.
- Notes
- Contributors: Weslawa Misiak 18/09/1998; Kathy Stephen, Mellisa Mayhew 27/01/2009
- References
- Aston, H.I. (1973). Aquatic Plants of Australia. Melbourne University Press, Victoria. 368 pp.
Bruggen, H.W.E. van (1969). Revision of the genus Aponogeton (Aponogetonaceae): III. The species of Australia. Blumea 17: 121-137.
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (2008). Aponogeton bullosus in Species Profile and Threats Database, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra. Accessed 23/09/2008. http://www.environment.gov.au/sprat
Hellquist, C.B. & Jacobs, S.W.L. (1998). Aponogetonaceae of Australia, with descriptions of six new taxa. Telopea 8(1): 13.
Herbrecs (2008). Aponogeton bullosus, in BriMapper version 2.12. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 23/09/2008.
Stephens, K.M. & Dowling, R.M. (2002). Wetland Plants of Queensland: A Field Guide. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood. - Profile author
- Kathy Stephens (27/01/2009)
Other resources
- Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT)
- The Australasian Virtual Herbarium (AVH)
- Atlas of Living Australia
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=11218.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
