Weed ID

EURASIAN WATERMILFOIL

Haloragaceae or Water Milfoil Family
Myriophyllum spicatum

GROWTH HABIT: Herbaceous submerged perennial, grows 10 feet or more.

LEAVES: Three to four bright green leaves are whorled around the stem at each joint. Each leaf is 1.2 inches long and has 12 to 48 thread-like divisions.

STEMS: Stems are 0.1 inches thick and are long, slender, and hairless towards the base and whitish when dry. Stems grow to the water surface, where they branch and form dense floating mats of vegetation.

FLOWERS: Rigid pink flowering-spike, from 2 to 8 inches long, is held erect above the water surface from June to August. Small yellow four-petaled flowers are arranged in clusters on the flowering spike.

ROOTS: Numerous roots at the base of the plant and along the length of the stem.

SEEDS: Fruit is a hard, segmented capsule containing four seeds.

REPRODUCES: Asexual reproduction via sprouting plant fragments and rhizomes is the dominant means of spread.

HABITAT: Aquatic habitats.