Appearance ²

Freshwater plant. It has slender, branched stems with small, straplike, pointed leaves. Leaves grow in clusters (whorls) of four to eight along the stem. The leaf edges are saw-toothed. It has small white flowers on the ends of long stalks and potato-like tubers at its roots.

Introduction ²

Probably introduced in the 1950s sed as an aquarium plant

Similar Native Species ²

Elodea (Elodea canadensis)

Impacts on Ecosystem ²

Crowds out native species because it grows densely. It clogs waterways and slows water flow. It can also change oxygen levels in waterways.

Citations ²

http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/hydrilla.shtml
http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/hydrilla-verticillata/

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Reinaldo Aguilar, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/plantaspinunsulaosa/8182253471/
2. (c) gburg2016, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• African Plants - a photo guide
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Calflora
• CalPhotos
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Jepson eFlora
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
• OregonFlora.org
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• World Flora Online
• 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
• 植物和名−学名インデックス YList

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