Kingdom Plantae Class Isoetopsida Family Isoetaceae Rank Species | Phylum Lycopodiophyta Order Isoetales Genus Isoetes | |
Similar Isoetes tegetiformans, Isoetes louisianensis, Isoetes melanospora, Isoetes howellii, Isoetes engelmannii | ||
Isoetes macrospora (big-spore quillwort) is a species of quillwort in the Isoetaceae family. It can be found in the deep water of low nutrient lakes in the Precambrian Shield as well as in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario. In the United States, it has been found in Minnesota and south, through the Appalachian Mountains to Virginia. It bears 3 to 17 long, stiff dark green leaves, sometimes with recurving tips. The sporangium can be 5 millimeters long and 4 millimeters wide, covered from one sixth to one quarter by the velum. The triangular ligule can grow up to 2 millimeters long. The spherical, white megaspores are 400 to 800 micrometers in diameter, and bear ridges that form honeycomb-like areas. The kidney-shaped microspores are 32 to 50 micrometers long, each with evenly spaced smooth papillae.