PLANT CHART

PLANT IDENTIFICATION CHART

FLORIDA AQUATIC PLANT MANAGEMENT SOCIETY, INC.

 

WATER LETTUCE

(PISTIA STRATIOTES)
Native to South America and perhaps to North America, this plant can interfere with navigation and movement of water and provides mosquito breeding habitat, but it is also valued by the nursery industry for use in ornamental ponds. It is a floating herb with a rosette of grey-green leaves, which are covered with soft hairs. Roots are feathery and silvery-white. Flowers, located at the center of the rosette, are tiny and inconspicuous.

ARROWHEADS  

(SAGITTARIA LATIFOLIA)

The native emersed aquatic plant and other species of this genus is commonly used for aquascaping and mitigation planting.  The showy flowers have three white petals, yellow floral parts, and occur in whorls on stalks that are up to 3 feet tall.  Leaves of this species are broadly arrow-shaped but vary widely among species of this genus.

GIANT BULRUSH

(SCIRPUS CALIFORNICUS)

This native emersed plant is often used in lake restoration and other aquatic plantings.  The leafless, rounded(3-angled toward base), bright green stems can be up to 10 feet tall and arise from thick runners.  The flower cluster occurs at the end of the stem but a bract appears as a continuation of the stem.

WATER HYACINTH

(EICHHORNIA CRASSIPES)

Native to South America, this plant has caused severe problems when introduced to other parts of the world and has been called “ the world’s worst weed.” It is a floating herb that is recognized by inflated leaf bases and clusters of purplish-blue flowers on erect stalks.  Plantlets may be connected by short runners.  Dark, feathery, black roots hang beneath.

EAST INDIAN HYGROPHILIA

(HYGROPHILIA POLYSPERMA)
This introduced, sprawling, emergent, or submersed aquatic plant usually occurs in flowing water situations, where it can cause serious problems with water movement. It is characterized by opposite, sometimes hairy leaves that are 3/8 to 1.5 inches wide and occur on short stalks. Flower in axils of upper leaves. Petals are united, 2-lipped, blue or white, hairy, and up to 3/8 inches long.

CATTAILS

(TYPHA SPP.)

Three North American cattails are aggressive pioneering species, which quickly invade disturbed areas such as newly constructed ponds.  Dewatered lake margins and disturbed wetlands.  Strap-like leaves, which are flattened against each other at the base, grow to 8feet tall.  Tiny brownish flowers are tightly crowded in a terminal, cylindrical spike, with the male flowers above the female.

EELGRASS

(VALLISNERIA AMERICANA)

This submerged native plant, which occurs in rivers, spring runs, and lake margins is not as common as it once was because of displacement by introduced species.  It is recognized by it’s ribbon-like leaves, which have definite veining with some cross veins in the mid portion, and edges free of veins.  Leaf tips are blunt and have a few small teeth on the leaf margins.  Female flowers occur on a large corckscrew-like stalks that reach the water surface.  Male flowers break free and float to the surface.

ALLIGATORWEED

(ALTERNATHERA PHILOXEROIDES)

Native to South America, alligatorweed once grew completely across narrow rivers and canals.  It is not as serious a pest as it once was because of insect biological control introductions.  It is a sprawling emergent plant (sometimes terrestrial) that forms dense floating mats.  It is characterized by opposite leaves that join and clasp the stems at the bases, hollow stems, and white papery flower clusters.

HYDRILLA

(HYDRILLA VERTICILLATA)

This submersed aquatic plant is wide-spread world wide and is probably native to Africa or Asia.  Since it’s introduction to North America, it has rapidly become the worst aquatic problem in the Southeastern United States, and it is rapidly becoming more widespread.  Hydrilla is characterized by leaves in whorls of (usually) 4-10 which are strap shaped, 5/8 inches long, contain hooked teeth on the margins, and sometimes have spines or bumps on the mid vein.

WATERFERN

(SALVINIA MINIMA)

This small (about ¾ inch) floating plant is a native fern.   The leaves are paired, rounded, and have stiff, brached hairs on the upper surface.  Thin root-like hairs hang beneath.

TORPEDOGRASS

(PANICUM REPENS)

This non native emersed grass is a very aggressive colonizer, which often displaces desired vegetation on lake and pond margins, and is a serious problem in drainage and irrigation canals.  It can be distinguished from other aquatic grasses by it’s extensive underground stems that form hard, pointed, glossy-white tips.  The leaves are rolled and have fine hairs on the upper surface.  The seed heads are branched sharply upwards and flowers are attached individually along the branches.

MUSK-GRASS

(CHARA SPP.)

Musk-grass is an important macrophytic algae which grows on the bottom of lakes and ponds.  35 species of chara (musk grass) are found in the United States.  It is usually gray green in color with a rough texture and a musky odor.  There is a whorl of 6 to 16 branchlets at each node along the main axis.  Commonly found in slow-flowing streams and hard water where calcium is abundant in the form of carbonets and bicarbonets.

AMERICAN LOTUS

(NAJAS QUADALUPENSES)

A native, submersed aquatic plant that sometimes becomes a problem, especially in drainage and irrigation canals.  It is generally considered good habitat for fish and waterfowl.  Stems are slender and branching.  Leaves are opposite or in whorls of three, deep-green to reddish, narrow, broadened at the base, and bear minute spines on the margins.  The base of the leaf forms a short sheath around the stem.

ILLINOIS PONDWEED

(POTAMOGETON ILLINOENSIS)

A native submersed plant, known to many bass anglers as peppergrass.  Leaves are thin, translucent, green to brownish, up to 7 inches long and less than 2 inches wide.  Flowers, which are inconspicuous, and seeds occur on compact spikes, which usually protrude above the water surface.

FRAGRANT WATERLILLY

(NYMPHAEA ODORATA)
Waterlillies are probably the most popular of aquatic plants. Fragrant waterlilly, and North American native, as well as other species of the genus, hybrids and cultivars, are commonly used for ornamental aquatic plantings. Fragrant waterlilly is characterized by large, showy, fragrant, white (sometimes pinkish) flowers and round, floating leaves that are deeply notched and have pointed lobes.