Potamogeton lucens, or shining pondweed,[4][2] is an aquatic perennial plant native to Eurasia and North Africa.

The leaves are pale green or yellowish, translucent, shiny with distinctive netted veining, minutely denticulate margins, and a short petiole of 1–12 mm.

Shining pondweed is morphologically quite variable, and as a result has received a bewildering number of synonyms.

[citation needed] DNA analysis indicates that P. lucens is one of the broad-leaved pondweed clade (section Potamogeton) and is probably most closely related to P. gramineus and the North American P.

[12] Potamogeton lucens is native to Europe (including Britain, continental Europe, Scandinavia), Asia (Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), the Middle East and North Africa.

[14] Dried and ground shining pondweed has been shown to be effective at binding heavy metals, raising the possibility of using biomass from this plant as a means of treating contaminated sediments.

[18] In Britain shining pondweed is mainly restricted to southern England with scattered outposts in Scotland and Wales, but is more widespread in Ireland.

Its distinctive, large, transparent netted leaves are unlike any other commonly cultivated pond plant.

In common with other pondweeds of this group it roots poorly from stem cuttings and is best propagated by division of the rhizomes.

It is easy to grow in a garden pond or even in a barrel, but unlike some other submerged plants needs to be able to root in a suitable substrate such as sand or aquatic compost.