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Myriophyllum spicatum

(Eurasian Water-Milfoil)

Overview

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Aquatic Plant. A submerged aquatic plant that can rapidly colonize a pond , lake or area of slow-moving water. Creates dense mats of vegetation that shade out other native aquatic plants , diminish habitat and food resource value for fish and birds, and decrease oxygen levels in the water when the plant decays.

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Dutch:

Aarvederkruid

Common Names in English:

Eurasian Water-Milfoil, Eurasian Watermilfoil, Myriophylle En Epi, Spike Water-Milfoil, Spike Watermilfoil, Spiked Water Milfoil

Common Names in French:

Water-Milfoil

Common Names in German:

Tausendblatt

Common Names in Hungarian:

Süllöhinár

Common Names in Romanian:

Brădiş, Brădiş Galben, Brădişor, Cosor, Mălura Bălţii, Molura Bălţii, Peniţă, Peniţe, Prisnel, Vîsc De Apă

Description

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Family Haloragaceae

Herbs perennial , rarely annual , aquatic or terrestrial , monoecious or dioecious. Stem creeping , ascending or erect , often rooting at lower nodes. Leaves estipulate, 2-4-whorled, decussate, or alternate, in terrestrial species always simple , in aquatic submersed species always pectinately lobed . Inflorescence an indeterminate or determinate spike of 1-5-flowered dichasia borne in axils of leaflike primary bracts; occasional lateral inflorescences simpler. Flowers minute, actinomorphic , epigynous , protandrous, anemophilous or entomophilous, bisexual or unisexual . Sepals (2-) 4, but absent in female flowers of some Myriophyllum, mostly persistent . Petals alternisepalous, (2-) 4, absent in female flowers of some Myriophyllum, imbricate, longer than sepals, often deciduous with stamens. Stamens 1 or 2 Ã as many as sepals; filaments short, slender; anthers basifixed , mostly oblong or linear , 4-loculed, dehiscing by slits, antisepalous anthers sometimes somewhat longer than antipetalous ones; pollen grains shedding at 3-celled stage. Ovary inferior, 1(or 2) - or 4-celled, septa solid or practically absent (present only at base and apex of ovary) ; styles as many (rarely half as many) as sepals, alternisepalous, free , mostly short, grading into globose or subulate stigmas, spreading in fruit; stigmatic papillae hairlike; ovules as many as styles, rarely 1, apical, pendulous, anatropous . Fruit nutlike or a drupe, variously ornamented with wings, ribs , and tubercles , indehiscent and 1-seeded or breaking up into (2-) 4 1-seeded mericarps; pericarp membranous or endocarp woody; exocarp membranous or swollen and spongy . Seeds with thin testa; embryo cylindric , surrounded by thick, white albumen.

About eight genera and ca. 100 species: mainly S hemisphere, particularly Australia, but Myriophyllum cosmopolitan and Proserpinaca Linnaeus confined to the N hemisphere; two genera and 13 species (one endemic, one introduced ) in China.

The spelling "Haloragidaceae" was used in FRPS, but the family name is conserved in Appendix IIB of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, where the spelling Haloragaceae is used.[1]

Genus Myriophyllum

Herbs perennial , aquatic , submerged or shortly emergent, monoecious or dioecious. Stem soft, few to many branched, rhizomatous . Submerged leaves 3- or 4-whorled, rarely alternate, pectinate , ovate to oblong in outline; segments filiform ; emergent leaves smaller, sometimes uppermost ones undivided, reducing to bracts of inflorescence. Inflorescence usually emergent, a terminal spike with flowers 4-whorled, or in axils of emergent leaves. Flowers subtended by a primary bract and 2 bracteoles, sessile, usually 4-merous, minute, lowermost ones female, uppermost ones male, sometimes middle ones bisexual . Male flowers: calyx deeply 2-4-lobed; petals 2-4, boat-shaped , often pink; stamens 2-8, epipetalous . Female and bisexual flowers: calyx tube united with ovary; lobes 4, minute; petals minute, often caducous or absent; ovary (2-) 4-celled; style absent; stigmas 4, sessile, recurved, plumose , papillose . Fruit a schizocarp, separating into (2-) 4 mericarps. Seed 1 per mericarp.

About 35 species: aquatic or wet habitats worldwide, mostly in Australia; 11 species (one endemic, one introduced ) in China.

Myriophyllum has economic importance in the purification of water, as feed for pigs, ducks, and fish, and in polishing wood . The plants are used medicinally to reduce fever and as an antidiarrheal.[2]

Physical Description

Species Myriophyllum spicatum

Plants mostly monoecious, rarely with bisexual flowers. Stem much branched, 100-250 cm, densely leafy in upper part, sparsely light green warty; internodes ca. 3 cm. Submerged leaves 4- or 5-whorled, pectinate , broadly ovate in outline, 3-3.5 × 1-2.5 cm; segments in 13-16 pairs, filiform , 1-1.5 cm. Inflorescence a terminal spike of 4-whorled flowers, 6-10 cm; bracts reniform or suborbicular , shorter than flowers, broader than long. Male flowers: bracteoles rhombic to elongate , margin entire; calyx broadly campanulate , 0.5-1 mm, 4-parted nearly to middle ; petals 4(or 5), pale pink, elliptic , 1.5-2.5 mm; stamens 8, without androphore . Female flowers: bracteoles pectinate, lanceolate in outline; calyx tubiform, 0.7-1 mm, margin shortly lobed ; petals absent or minute and caducous . Fruit 4-loculed, subcylindric , ca. 2 × 1.5 mm; mericarps abaxially rounded , smooth or sparsely verrucose along margins. Fl. and fr. Apr-Sep. [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Size/Age/Growth

Size: under 6" tall.

Habitat

Stagnant waters, lakes , ditches, slow streams , springs ; near sea level to 4200 m , rarely to 5200 m in springs[3].

An aquatic weed found worldwide. Prefers lakes, ponds , shallow reservoirs and low energy areas of rivers and streams. Brackish water of protected tidal creeks and bays . Common in waterbodies that have experienced disturbances such as nutrient loading , intense plant management , or abundant motorboat use. Able to tolerate a wide range of water conditions, including spring water and brackish water of tidal creeks and bays with salinity of up to 10 parts per thousand . Most often found in water 0.5 to 2.5 m deep, but can be found at depths up to 3m. Tolerant to a range of temperatures , able to overwinter in frozen lakes and ponds in northern states and Canada; but also able to grow in shallow, over-heated bays in Florida.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,684 meters (0 to 5,525 feet).[4]

Ecology: Myriophyllum spicatum grows into dense infestations which shades out and replaces other aquatic plants and is of less value as a food resource than the native plants it replaces. At high densities, it supports fewer aquatic insects which serve as a food resource for fish. Large predatory fish lose foraging space and are less efficient at obtaining prey . Another impact is a reduction in oxygen levels within the water due to the decay of the large mats of the plant. The dense mats impede water movement and interfere with recreational activities such as swimming, boating, fishing and water skiing.

Biology

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Reproduction

Myriophyllum spicatum can spread by sexual or vegetative reproduction with the majority of local reproduction by stolons and vegetative fragments. Average seed set of 112 seeds per stalk .

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Notes

Publishing author : L. Publication : Sp. Pl. 2: 992 1753 [1 May 1753]

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Myriophyllum

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 19 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

M. alterniflorum (Alternate-Flowered Water Milfoil) · M. aquatica (Parrot's Feather) · M. aquaticum (Brazilian Watermilfoil) · M. brasiliensis (Red Stemmed Parrot's Feather) · M. brasillensis var. Spiralis (Dwarf Parrot's Feather) · M. farwellii (Farwell's Water-Milfoil) · M. heterophyllum (Broadleaf Water-Milfoil) · M. hippuroides (Western Water-Milfoil) · M. humile (Low Water-Milfoil) · M. laxum (Loose Watermilfoil) · M. pinnatum (Cut-Leaf Water-Milfoil) · M. propium (Miniature Parrots Feather) · M. quitense (Andean Water Milfoil) · M. sibiricum (American Watermilfoil) · M. spicatum (Eurasian Water-Milfoil) · M. tenellum (Slender Water-Milfoil) · M. ussuriense (Asian Watermilfoil) · M. verrucosum (Red Water-Milfoil) · M. verticillatum (Whorl-Leaf Watermilfoil)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Jiarui Chen & Michele Funston "Haloragaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 427, 428. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Myriophyllum". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 428, 429. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. "Myriophyllum spicatum". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 430. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  4. Mean = 94.580 meters (310.302 feet), Standard Deviation = 134.680 based on 8,331 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 2012-04-18