The obvious fan-shape of the submerged leaves might indicate that this is R. circinatus but the Crowfoots are notoriously difficult to identify and recent work by Richard Lansdown (BSBI News No1 107 pp20) suggest that morphological characteristics are not enough to without genetic information as well. The crowfoots hybridise and some of the hybrids have characteristics indistinguishable from some main species. With that caveat, the leader of this Wild Flower Society meeting identified this plant with confidence so it is probably the best name we could obtain within the present state of field botany.

This plant is commonly found in southern and eastern England but becomes markedly less common the farther north you go. There are some records in Scotland, Wales and Ireland but England is where it prefers to live.

Southease, East sussex 8th July 2007

Added on 18th February 2008, updated August 21st 2011