Scientific name: Najas flexilis (Willd.) Rostk. & W.L.E. Schmidt
Common name: Slender Naiad
Description
Habit: Small submerged annual, with slender, leafy submerged stems.Leaves: Opposite or in whorls of 3, linear, very delicate, up to 2.5cm long, very finely and sparsely toothed; sheath with or without auricles.
Flowers: Monoecious, inconspicuous, minute, submerged, axillary, solitary or few together, without a perianth; the male consisting of 1 stalkless anther, initially fully enclosed in a sac-like bract but eventually protruding; the female consisting of an ovary of 2 carpels.
Fruits: A drupe, ovoid, 2-3mm long.
Habitat: Grows in deep water, and is usually seen as fragments washed ashore.
Distribution: Lakes in the West; rare.
Native status: Native
Of conservation interest: Yes