Broad-leaved Pondweed
Broad-leaved Pondweed
Water & Wetland Plant
One of Britain's commonest pondweeds, with leathery oval leaves that float on the surface — a favourite food of ducks and swans.
💡 Fun Facts
- This is one of the commonest pondweeds in Britain, with oval leaves that float flat on the water like little leather boats.
- It grows two completely different kinds of leaf — floating oval ones on top, and narrow stalk-like ones below the surface.
- Ducks and swans love it — they eat the leaves and gobble up the little seeds.
📅 Through the Year
- Flowering:May to September
Name Story
Potamogeton natans
means “the floating river-neighbour”
What does its name mean?
- Potamogeton — river-neighbourGreek potamos ‘river’ + geitōn ‘neighbour’
- natans — floatingLatin natare ‘to swim, float’
‘River-neighbour’ fits perfectly: this plant lives in and beside fresh water. And ‘floating’ describes its broad oval leaves, which rest flat on the surface — the very leaves the English name ‘broad-leaved’ points to as well.