SafePlants

Bolander's Quillwort (Isoetes bolanderi)

Bolander's Quillwort is a fascinating aquatic plant found in specific regions of North America. Learn more about its characteristics, habitat, and conservation status below.

Common Names

• Bolander's Quillwort

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Isoetes bolanderi
• Family: Isoetaceae (Quillwort Family)
• Genus: Isoetes
• Synonyms:
  • Isoetes bolanderi var. bolanderi
  • Isoetes bolanderi var. parryi
  • Isoetes bolanderi var. pygmaea

Distribution and Habitat

This species is native to high-altitude regions of western North America. It is found in shallow lakes and muddy sites within the subalpine zone. Specifically, it has been observed in:

• Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada
• Southeastern British Columbia (rare, known from Akamina Pass eastward)
• Western Cascades
• High Cascades

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Bolander's Quillwort is a small perennial aquatic plant.
• It's described as a "true" aquatic species, spending most of its life underwater.
• It exhibits a graminoid growth habit.
• The plant features soft-textured, straight leaves that grow in tufts from an underground structure.
• Leaves are typically 4.5-19(-24) cm long, usually somewhat stiff but flexible, tapering abruptly to a sharply pointed tip.

Additional Information

Bolander's Quillwort is considered a "primitive" plant and a fern ally.

Further Information

• Parks Canada Agency: Recovery Strategy and Action Plan for Bolander's Quillwort (Isoetes bolanderi) in Canada. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series.
• Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC): Status report on the Bolander's quillwort, Isoetes bolanderi, in Canada / by Daniel F. Brunton.
• FNA Ed. Comm., 1993
• DiscoverLife.org