Aquatic Plant Guide for Florida

Tape grass or Vallisnerai american is a submersed (fully underwater) aquatic plant found throughout many clean, clear Florida lakes, rivers, and natural springs. It creates underwater meadows for fish, turtles, and other native animals to feast on.

• Appearance: Tape grass looks how it sounds – like long, thick blades of grass growing underwater. Its individual blades are about an inch wide and can grow to be several feet long with round tips and raised ‘veins’ running its length. In shallower waters, it often ‘bends’ to meet the current, earning it the nickname of ‘eel grass’.
• Watch Out: As tape grass grows vertically and quite long, it can sometimes become a swimming and recreational use hazard – or at least alarm swimmers whose legs get tangled.
• How to Control Tape Grass: Though tape grass is native, property owners who wish to reduce its growth can find success with EPA-registered aquatic herbicides applied by a licensed professional, or by dyeing the waterbody with natural pigment to block out some of the sunlight, limiting plant growth.

Duck potato or Sagittaria lancifolia gets its name from the large, tuber-shaped underground stems. Duck Potato can be found growing in swamps, ditches, lakes, and streams across Florida.

• Appearance: Duck potato grows from the bottom layer of the waterbody to about three feet above the surface. It has long petiole leaves that are arrow-shaped and small clusters of flowers with three petals.
• Nutritious: Duck potato’s starchy tubers aren’t just eaten by waterfowl and muskrats, they were also once a source of nutrition for Native Americans, who called it ‘Wapato’.
• How to Control Duck Potato: For the most part, duck potato is helpful for nutrient absorption, erosion control and aquatic habitats and doesn’t need to be removed. But in the case that your aquatic manager recommends doing so, its numerous tubers, seeds, and stems can make it difficult to manually remove. Aquatic herbicides may be more effective in the short term.

Pickerelweed or Pontederia cordata is a native Floridian plant marked by vibrant purple flowers atop bright green stalks and sheaths. It can be found in and around the shores of slow waters, such as marshes, canals, and swamps, growing in large colonies and spreading via underground rhizome systems. It is mainly found in South Florida.

• Appearance: Pickerelweed is a medium-sized aquatic plant, which reaches about two to four feet in height. It has long, narrow leaves that can vary in size and shape, but is distinguished by a crowning, half-foot spike covered in hundreds of small, purple and blue flowers.
• Hyper-Local: While Pickerel weed is found in nearly every county within Florida, it’s also found in eastern and central North America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. Pickerel Weed is considered an invasive pest in South Africa where it crowds out native plants.
• How to Control Pickerel Weed: While pickerel weed doesn’t usually require much management due to its numerous benefits for erosion control and nutrient absorption, the primary management option for this aquatic plant is via EPA-registered herbicides.

Hydrilla or Hydrilla verticillata is a fully submerged, perennial aquatic plant species that is infamous for being one of the most pervasive exotic plants. In fact, Hydrilla has made its way into nearly every type of freshwater, including rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, canals, ditches, reservoirs, and more.

• Appearance: Hydrilla consists of thicker stems covered in small, bright-green leaves that come to a point with serrated edges. It also has what is best described as a sharp tooth under the center of each leaf. These leaves are arranged in whorls of about five leaves directly attached to the stem. At the end of each stem, which can reach up to thirty feet, is a tuber. hydrilla is usually found in vast quantities, forming thick mats. It can survive both embedded in the ground, as well as free-floating.
• Named for Hydra: Part of what makes hydrilla so tricky is its capability to grow a new plant from just a small stem piece – similar to the mythical nine-headed serpent in Greek mythology.
• How to Control Hydrilla: There are a lot of options when it comes to controlling Hydrilla, but few of them are successful in the long term. Physical raking and suction harvesting, biological controls such as tuber-feeding weevils and grass carp, as well as targeted herbicide applications. Due to the rapid growth hydrilla is capable of, it’s best to work with professionals who are highly knowledgeable and experienced in managing it.

Though herbicides are highly effective and safe for managing invasive aquatic weeds, they are not a long-term solution – they don’t resolve the root causes of the problem. Professionals may recommend kicking off an annual program with herbicide applications to begin with a “clean slate,” but these efforts are followed by consistent monitoring and sustainable management solutions to prevent regrowth.

Depending on the species, a multi-layered approach may be necessary. Aquatic plants with tubers and seeds can take several years to establish full control. Experienced professionals can work with you to identify the types of invasive plants in your waterbodies and guide you in choosing the right management path based on your unique needs.

No matter your situation, budget, and goals, an annual management plan is often the most effective, long-lasting, and cost-effective approach over time. Rather than treating invasive species after they get out of hand, professionals use a wide array of tools and equipment at their disposal to prevent or eliminate growth as soon as it’s discovered through diligent monitoring. Solutions that help improve water quality may include nutrient remediation, beneficial bacteria applications, fountains and aerators, shoreline management and restoration, as well as mechanical solutions like mechanical harvesting and hydro-raking as needed. 

You care about your aquatic resources, and we do too. As you work to cultivate beautiful, balanced water, make sure to partner with professionals that understand your objectives and have a shared vision for the future of your waterbodies.