Common Waterweed

Elodea canadensis

Common waterweed has slender branching stems with:

• Tiny, narrow leaves with fine teeth and blunt tips.
• Leaves grow in whorls of three that get more crowded toward the tips.
• Weak, thread-like roots.

Where does common waterweed grow?

Common waterweed grows:

• Mostly in fresh water.
• Occasionally in brackish tributaries with slow-moving and/or calcium-rich waters.

How does common waterweed reproduce?

Common waterweed usually reproduces asexually.

• Each plant is distinctly male or female. Flowers grow more commonly on the females.
• Flowers bloom from July through September.

Sexual reproduction rarely occurs; when it does, the plants produce cylindrical fruit capsules that contain several seeds.

Other facts about common waterweed:

• Can be confused with hydrilla. You can distinguish common waterweed by its lack of tubers and whorls of three leaves.
• Common waterweed is an important food for beavers, muskrats and waterfowl, and provides good habitat for young fish and aquatic invertebrates.