Is this American Water willow in the pictures below?

Amercian Water Willow

I have regular willows that I control, but this is the first I have seen of this. I have two small plots of a few plants each. Both are beside some spike rush. I wonder if it has come in from birds.

Don't know if I should try to kill it out while it is small and a small amount, or if it is desirable and let it grow.

First I need to ID it for sure. The background stuff with the purplish leaves is water primrose. I know what it is. It is the upright green plant I am interested in. Pics below.

Bump

This from your link: "Water-willow flowers from May through October. The flowers are on long stems originating from the base of the leaves. Flowers are 5-petaled orchid-like (3/4 inch diameter), white with purple/violet streaks on the lower petals. Water-willow can spread from seeds and forms extensive rhizomes by which it forms colonies and spreads rapidly."

Your plant to me looks like the description on water willow. I would let it grow one more year until it flowers. Flowering will verify the name. I have never seen water willow and do not know much about it. Evidently it will not grow very deep, but can form dense colonies. A glysophate based herbicide should kill it when you decide to get rid of it.

Thanks Bill. It looked like at the base it might be a rhizome type plant. The plant seemed to be jointed down towards the water line. I may dig up a plant tomorrow just to see what the roots look like.

This is the first year I have had much rooted plant growth around the pond. Water primrose has taken hold numerous places. Some rushes have started in places other than the places I planted them.

So next year may be a new chapter in pond management for me. Which could be a good or bad thing.

That looks to be American water willow. Personally, I think it is great to have in a pond. It protects the shorelines from wave damage and provides really good habitat for fry and forage fish. The one issue with it is that it can limit bank fishing access and lures can get stuck in the stem while fishing. If it becomes an issue, it is easily removed with herbicide. If you have large expanses of shallow water (~2 feet or less)it can quickly take over.

Thanks for that info. It should be ok in my pond then.

Sounds like control measures and coverage would not be that much different than water primrose then. I like it as long as it does not get too dense.