Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Plants in a 50 + acre wet lands

I went kayaking in a wet land area to look at water plants. Most of the water is chocked with plants just below the surface. The water is crystal clear because of the plants. I was looking for ell grass and didn't see any but almost every thing else was there. In the plant competition there was very little curly pond weed and coontail. Lots of long leaf pond weed along the edges but not much cattails. I have a plant I can't identify but have a good picture. I think It had white flowers but they shriveled up. Here are some of the plants.

John, I'm not 100% sure, but it looks very similiar to Eurasian Water Milfoil.

I think the purple fanwort ID above is incorrect. It looks like either parrots feather or Eurasian watermilfoil (both belong to the same genus).
Not certain about the mystery-plant. Looks a lot like partially dessicated or deformed coontail; but your white-flower comment threw a wrench into that theory. Coontail flowers are very small and fairly inconspicuous. Actually, it looks like coontail that is reacting to the effects of 2,4-D. Is that a possibility?
I can't contest the widgeon grass photo, but neither can I confirm it. Looks like something my dog upchucked

What I had ID as fanwort really does look like parrots feather. I thought parrots feather stood well above the water and this didn't. But it looks so much like PF that I'll go with that.

esshup I'm really confused about Eurasian millfoil. I had something planted for years that I thought was EM but it had red flowers in stead of white. Then I saw another plant at a lake that I thought might be EM that is different yet. When I get both of these plants I will post them to see what the heck they are.

Kelly I'm really impressed. How did you take out the words in the pictures? I use Photoshop 7 and have never been able to do that after I rasterize (fix) a layer.

Kelly, the white flowers made me wonder about Ranunculus (buttercup)? Is that a possibility?

This looks like ell grass that I just spotted in my pond this morning. I planted Corkscrew Ell Grass 8 feet apart around the pond about three weeks ago but only single plants. My planted ell grass looks and lays bent on top of the water just like the ones in the picture. So I was wondering how this got here. Ducks set on the log so maybe their poo had seeds in it. At any rate I'm glad to have the extra ell grass if that is what it is.

Parrot feather's terminal-growth usually extends several inches above the water's surface, as also occurs with variable-leaf milfoil - though to a lesser degree. Eurasian watermilfoil, however, remains completely submerged.
All three are in the same genus, but have distinctly different physical characteristics.
After closer inspection, the second photo that was posted as fanwort is actually Eurasian watermilfoil - an exotic/invasive, and virtually impossible to control with non-chemical methods. As a cold-hardy specie, it is able to survive - if not thrive beneath ice.



Regarding photo text-removal: text placed over a random-pattern or solid-texture background makes the job relatively easy. Text placed over a detailed or multi-textured background is very difficult to edit or remove.
I.E. removing the text in the above photos would leave very noticable smudges in the modified images.
On a related subject: one should always scrutinize digital photos that seem abnormal - especially of tropy fish or game animals...

Dave - I'm not familiar with Ranunculus, but isn't its flower yellow?

John - The eel grass (Vallisneria americana) that I normally encounter has a much broader blade, which might be related to its maturity-level. I'm unfamiliar with Corkscrew Eel Grass. Do you know the specie's name?

Kelly, here is the information on the Corkscrew Ell Grass I bought. Also from the information you give it looks like EM can come in several forms. Thanks for the explanation on text removal.

Common Name:Vals, Corkscrew (Vallisneria americana)

Family Name: Hydrocharitaceae

Asia

Spiralled, green, straplike leaves, up to 40 cm long. Very prolific.

Scientific name for corkscrew eel grass is Vallisneria spiralis.

Kelly -- you're the expert! :-) I thought it had both yellow and white flowers, depending on species. I was just guessing anyway.

Normally eel grass does not have the upper leaves laying on the surface especially early in the season unless the water has receeded a lot. I think you have some other plant species with the lay-over leaves. Your plants remind me of young wild rice plants which have that characteristis right before they become upright.

I noticed that I do have a few standard eel grass leaves (Vallisneria americana) on the surface in shallow water (12"-15") similar to those in John's 15/6/11 picture above. Note that I have never seen the subspecies of spiral eel grass (V.americana subspecies) that I have to get tall enough for the leaves to lay on the surface. I am noticing a lot of varieties and types of spiral and twisted forms of eel grass appear for sale on the aquarium websites. Buyer beware. I question if some sellers are indescriminately applying specialized names to their own products. It is a common practice and I will not mention any specific sellers. The goal of many plant places is to SELL product and they will give their plants a unique name to specialize in a particular plant or fish.

@Bill: A few months ago, I posted about finding what appeared to be V. nana growing in a small/new urban "pond". This was the first time I've encountered this plant. Assuming the ID is correct, I'm guessing it originated from someone's aquarium.
Wonder if the plant in John's picture might be V. nana. The growth-patterns look very similar.
John - can you secure a better image of an extracted plant?

There appears to be numerous subspecies or varieties of eel grass showing up on the aquarium plant 'market' - I assume mostly all imported forms.

Kelly I will pull some of this grass out of the water and get a good picture. Later in the growing season perhaps it will show some better identifying traits. As it first starts growing, I think it puts our two grass blades and sometimes starts to curl partially like a question mark while still under water. And these first plants after rising above the surface lay a blade of grass on the surface about 6 inches to nearly a foot long. The blades are narrow, 1/16 inch or so. I can see some that are growing further out from the shore and I found what looks to be a thick patch that hasn't reached the surface yet. I would have never spotted it except the sun was really bright one day when I could see it. I have had a couple of Wood Ducks families this season, maybe they could have brought it to the pond.

Here is the mystery grass growing in my pond. The grass on the bucket I would estimate is 1/3 to 1/2 the size it will reach when fully grown. In the bottom picture you can see how the grass blades resemble a question mark before they reach the surface of the water and lay over.

Generally eel grass does not grow singly like those in the picture. For eelgrass, each plant is attached to another plant (runners); all appear interconnected and grow in tight or fairly tightly grouped clumps similar to that in Kelly's insert small photo above. Even new or young plants are attached by runners to the original 'mother' plant. I rarely am able to pull up just one plant.

Bill when my order of Corkscrew Ell grass came the roots looked somewhat like green onions you would pull from a garden. I pulled the sample from a sandy area I used to use as a beach. I will pull another sample from the mud bottom and see if it acts like it might be attached to a runner.

My grass is very delecate compaired to my corkscrew or Kelly's samples. But if there is are no runners then that is a good clue perhaps.

Here is some more information on my mystery grass. Some but not all of the plants have put out a leaf. Most of the plants that are bigger and further out in the pond don't have the leaves. I'm guessing this is a strategy to help the grass get sunlight when It is young and under water. The roots were intertwined with each other but not growing together with an interconnection root.

It is definately NOT a type of eel grass. I have seen similar looking plants with those small floating leaves along shorelines. Identification will be easier and probably more accurate once the plants develop flowers and or seeds. Watch for them to develop.

I concur with Bill; definitely not an eel grass relative - but I haven't a clue at this point. Interesting...

I am not quite sure that the grass with the leaf is the same one that has the blade curl. Once the blade is curling I can't find a plant that has an attached leaf, but they all grow together. So what I am doing is watching a group of grass plants with the leaves to see if they turn into the curl bladed grass plants. I'm just an observer but I never knew of a grass type plant that also had a broad leaf. I haven't been able to find any in my online searches. I wonder if this is rare or new? And isn't this a great strategy for a grass plant to shoot up a broad leaf to the surface to pump energy quickly to the grass that is just starting to emerge, especially if the water was murky.