Myriophyllum Aquaticum

Myriophyllum Aquaticum is an herbaceous aquatic plant that can grow 2-5 m (6.5-16 ft.) in length. The bluish-green stems are stout. The numerous leaves of this plant are pinnately dissected and arranged in whorls of 4 to 6 around the stem. They have both emergent and submerged leaves. The emergent leaves can be up to 30 cm (1 ft.) out of the water. They measure 2-5 cm (0.75-2 in.) long and have 6-18 divisions per leaf. The submerged leaves are 1.5-3.5 cm (0.5-1.25 in.) long and have 20-30 divisions per leaf. The flowers are located axillary to slightly modified leaves on the emergent inflorescences. They are positioned between two bracts and measure 1.5 mm (0.06 in.) long. The flowers do not have petals, but have white sepals. The plants are dioecious, and only female plants have been reported in the United States. The fruits of this plant are 1.5-2 mm (0.07 in.) long. Page References Crow & Hellquist 194, Gleason & Cronquist 308, Holmgren 289, Magee & Ahles 778. See reference section below for full citations.