302 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 



Family 53. Ceratophyllace^e. Hornwort Family 



328. hornwort 



CERATOPHYLLUM DEMERSUM L. 



This is one of the most common plants in the lake, and is, in- 

 deed, one of the most common lake weeds in the state. It also 

 grows in slow stretches of rivers, or rather bayous, or in old canal 

 or ditch beds. It often comes up in long tangles attached to fish- 

 hooks and is popularly called "water-moss." It was found abund- 

 ant in nearly all lakes visited. At Lake Maxinkuckee it is found 

 scattered through most parts of the lake in rather shallow water, 

 and was found near the Weedpatch in water eighteen feet deep. It 

 grows abundantly by the Inlet. It is also abundant in Lost Lake 

 and in the Outlet far below the lakes. 



The hornwort does not possess roots or any sort of hold-fast 

 during any part of its existence. From this it might be supposed 

 that it had no permanent or local habitation in the lake but drifted 

 here and there according to winds and currents. Such, however, 

 is not the case. It usually stands more or less upright in the water 

 but does not come near enough the surface to be caught by winds, 

 and seems to be so "loggy" that it is very little affected by currents. 

 The heavy lower part of the plant usually lies on the bottom and 

 forms a sort of drag-anchor. One rarely or never sees great 

 masses washed ashore, as is common with Vallisneria, Philotria 

 and other weeds. 



Ceratophyllum varies considerably in appearance, especially in 

 robustness, in different localities and situations. That far down 

 the outlet is exceedingly robust and handsome, and it is difficult to 

 understand how it keeps its place in the good current there. Some 

 plants found during the summer of 1909 in the mouth of the Des- 

 plaines River, Illinois, were so exceedingly attenuated that it took 

 some effort to recognize them as a form of the old Ceratophyllum 

 demersum. 



The winter behavior is slightly different in different situations. 

 Generally speaking it keeps more or less green all winter and dif- 

 fers very little in appearance during the different seasons, though 

 perhaps a little duller in color in winter. The large robust plants 

 down the outlet retained a bright vivid green during the winter 

 and had delicate pink tips. In many places what might be called 

 winter buds were formed by a cessation of growth in late autumn 

 or early winter of the tip of the stem, and by the rotting away of 

 the part underneath. These winter buds are wafted about more 



