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Home > Common
Weeds Treated > Eurasian Water Milfoil
Eurasian Water Milfoil
Scientific Name:
Myriophyllum spicatum
Origin:
Eurasia and Africa
Background
Introduced accidentally from Eurasia in the 1940s, Eurasian milfoil possibly
escaped from an aquarium or was brought in on a commercial or private boat.
Description
An herbaceous aquatic
plant in the water-milfoil family (Haloragaceae); stems grow to
the water surface, usually extending 3 to 10 feet but as much as
33 feet in length and frequently forming dense mats; stems are long,
slender, branching, hairless and become leafless toward the base;
new plants may emerge from each node (joint) on a stem and root
upon contact with mud. Bright green leaves are finely divided and
occur in whorls of three or four along the stem, with 12 to 16 pairs
of fine, thin leaflets about 1/2 inch long. These leaflets give
milfoil a feathery appearance that is a distinguishing feature of
the plant. Eurasian watermilfoil produces small, yellow, four-parted
flowers on a spike that projects 2 to 4 inches above the water surface.
Flower spikes often remain above water until pollination is complete.
The fruit is a hard, segmented capsule containing four seeds. Spreads
by rhizomes, fragmented stems and axillary buds that develop throughout
the year. Although seeds are usually viable, they are not an important
means of dispersal.
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