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    Center For Aquatic And Invasive Plants

    Center For Aquatic And Invasive Plants

    Section 1 - Header

    • plants.ifas.ufl.edu
    • Why Manage Plants
    • Aquatic Plants in Florida

    Aquatic Plants in Florida

    Florida is home to hundreds of native aquatic and wetland plants that live in damp to wet soils, and some even more specialized plants that live entirely in, on, or under water. Emersed, or emergent, plants are rooted in shallow water with much of the vegetative growth above the water. Floating aquatic plants can be free-floating or floating-leaved. Submersed plants grow primarily below the water’s surface.


    Section Topics

    • Native Plants
    • Non-Native Invasive Plants
    • Aquatic Plants in Florida
    • Florida's Invasive Aquatic Plants
    • Why Manage Plants? It's the Law
    • Emersed Plants

      Emersed plants are rooted in shallow water with much of the vegetative growth above the water.

      Cattail (Typha spp.), maidencane (Panicum hemitomon), and bulrush (Scirpus spp.) are examples of emersed plants. They can grow from the water’s edge to a depth of 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet).

    • Submersed Plants

      Submersed plants grow primarily below the water’s surface.

      Tape grass (Vallisneria americana) and hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) are examples of submersed plants.

    • Floating Plants

      Floating aquatic plants can be free-floating or floating-leaved.

      The Spatterdock (Nuphar lutea subsp. advena) in this picture is a floating-leaved aquatic plant.

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      Emersed plants are rooted in water-saturated soils or submersed soils near the water’s edge. The leaves and stems grow above the water. During low-water conditions, emersed plants can grow in exposed, damp, sediments.

      Some emersed plants are large-leaved, with big spikes of flowers: the arrowheads (Sagittaria spp.) and fire flag (Thalia geniculata). Some are small plants, growing inches above the water (Bacopa spp.). Some are viney, rooted in the mud but crawling across the water: water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica). Some are tall and leafy: the native lake hygrophila (Hygrophila costata). Some can fill a large prairie: bur-marigold (Bidens laevis).

      Aquatic grasses, sedges, and rushes are also in the emersed-plant category. Among Florida's native giant grasses are sugarcane plume grass (Saccharum giganteum) and giant foxtail (Setaria magna). Shorter grasses, such as maidencane (Panicum hemitomon) and knotweed (Polygonum spp.), grow in shallow marshes and lake margins and are extremely valuable to Florida's fisheries. Sedges include the dominant plant in the Everglades, sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense), and star-rush (Dichromena spp.). Bulrushes include Scirpus spp. and the true rushes of Florida: soft rush (Juncus effusus).

      Unfortunately, Florida has many non-native invasive grasses, sedges, and rushes: torpedograss (Panicum repens), paragrass (Urochloa mutica), napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum), and West Indian marsh grass (Hymenachne amplexicaulis).

      Emersed plants occur in all Florida waterbodies within a zone from a few feet to hundreds of feet. The zone changes most often in response to changing water levels. When periods of low water are followed by a rapid rise in water level, large sections of emersed plants may be uprooted. Sustained high water can also reduce emersed-plant abundance. In periods of low water, debris from dying emersed plants is a significant factor. Accumulated plant debris can eventually result in the lake becoming shallower, or even transitioning into a swamp or marsh.

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      Submersed plant species are rooted to bottom sediments and others are free-floating. They come in all shapes and sizes and occur in virtually all Florida waterbodies. Environmental factors such as light, water clarity, temperature, pH, nutrient availability and sediment stability affect where submersed plants will grow.

      Some submersed species (tape grass) produce flowers and are pollinated underwater or at the water’s surface. Sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) has branches and leaves that spread across the water just below the surface. Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana) produces flowers that float on the surface. Water milfoils (Myriophyllum spp.) have flower stalks that emerge up to six inches above the water. Some submersed plants have several of these attributes: coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) is a submersed, free-floating plant that produces tiny flowers pollinated underwater.

      Professional management of aquatic plants in Florida is extensive because both native and non-native submersed plants can reach nuisance levels. An abundance of submersed aquatic plants can adversely affect recreational boating, swimming, and fishing; fish and bird populations; commercial navigation; and flood control.

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      The “floating” category includes free-floating and floating-leaved plants. Free-floating plants are not anchored in the sediment; they obtain their nutrients from the water. Free-floating plants include the world's smallest flowering plant (a duckweed called water meal, Wolffia columbiana); and two larger duckweeds,small duckweed (Lemna valdiviana) and giant duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza). 

      The free-floating plant, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), is a non-native invasive plant in Florida and has been called "the worst aquatic weed in the world" by experts. In many Florida waters, it requires constant management, known as maintenance control to maintain low levels and keep waterways passable. Water hyacinth has invaded the waters of many countries from its native Brazil; and is profiled here. Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) also form dense mats covering the water surface.

      Floating-leaved plants typically are rooted in the sediments and have leaves that float on the water surface. Water lilies (Nymphaea spp.), spatterdock (Nuphar lutea subsp. advena), American lotus (Nelumbo lutea), and water shield (Brasenia schreberi) are examples of floating-leaved plants. They generally grow along the shoreline, lakeward of the emersed plants.

      Floating and floating-leaved plants occur in many Florida waterbodies. Rooted floating-leaved plants can grow completely across shallow waterbodies. The roots of floating-leaved plants provide a stable surface for successful fish spawning.

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