Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Spineless Hornwort - Ceratophyllum echinatum   A. Gray
Members of Ceratophyllum with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Order Nymphaeales » Family Ceratophyllaceae
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AuthorA. Gray
DistributionScattered records on the Coastal Plain; also Richmond County in an old oxbow of the Pee Dee River (in the eastern Piedmont), and a second Richmond population in a pond at Pee Dee NWR.

Newf. to Ont. and MN, south to central FL and eastern TX; also BC, WA, OR.
AbundanceRare to locally uncommon. Where found, plants may be numerous. Presumed to occur in many more counties than collected so far. It is a Watch List species, as assigned by NCNHP.
HabitatImpoundments, woodland and forest pools (such as cypress-gum), slow-moving streams and rivers.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting May-September.
IdentificationSpineless Hornwort has leaves which fork 3-4 times (vs. 1-2 in C. demersum) and lax and slender leaves (vs. stiff and coarse in that species). From C. australe, it differs in larger seeds (4.5-6 mm vs. 3-4.5 mm).
Taxonomic CommentsHornworts/Coontails (genus Ceratophyllum) are submersed aquatic plants with long stems and branches. Leaves are very slender, linear, forked, and are arranged in whorls of 3-11 leaves. Tiny flowers and fruits occur at some leaf bases. Plants superficially resemble water-milfoils, but leaves of milfoils are pinnately dissected into many segments, not merely forked.
Other Common Name(s)Prickly Hornwort, Spiny Coontail
State RankS2
Global RankG4
State StatusW7
US Status
USACE-agcpOBL link
USACE-empOBL link
County Map - click on a county to view source of record.
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Becky DillRichmond County, pond within Pee Dee NWR, July 2023. RichmondPhoto_natural
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