Hydrilla once was used as an aquarium plant, and has become a weed of economic importance. It has long stems that branch at the surface where growth becomes horizontal and dense mats form. Hydrilla has mid rib teeth that causes the plant to feel rough when drawn through your hand, also you may want to go to Texas A&M AgriLife Aquaplant website for more info and identification pictures and explanations. This species is often rooted, although it can break loose and form a free-floating state (Langeland 1996). FACT: Stems of hydrilla may grow up to 30 feet long. often forming impenetrable mats of vegetation. Characteristics very similar to the American waterweed (E. canadensis) The following website contains photos and descriptions of hydrilla and similar species: Nonnative Fresh Water Plant: Hydrocharitaceae- Washington State Department of Ecology -The Sunday Times- It was introduced to Florida in the 1950s through the aquarium trade. Hydrilla (waterthyme) is a genus of aquatic plant, usually treated as containing just one species, Hydrilla verticillata, though some botanists divide it into several species.It is native to the cool and warm waters of the Old World in Asia, Africa and Australia, with a sparse, scattered distribution; in Australia from Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales. Click on an acronym to view each weed list, or click here for a composite list of Weeds of the U.S. Hydrilla generally grows rooted into substrate, but the plant is easily fragmented and it will also survive as a free floating mat at the water surface. Identification: Hydrilla verticillata . 1977), combined with several very efficient methods of vegetative reproduc­ tion, i.e., through runners over the surface of bottom muds and through Hydrilla is an aquatic plant native to Asia, Africa, and Australia. An invasive aquatic plant recently found in several counties, hydrilla could impact New York’s fishing, is a submersed perennial monocotyledon plant from southeast Asia (Cronk and Fennessy 2001). Hydrilla: Hydrilla verticillata Appearance: Hydrilla is a submersed, much-branched, perennial herb, usually rooted but frequently with fragments seen drifting in the water. …an immensely accomplished artist with a huge sound and a way of playing that is lyrical and intense without a hint of preciousness. An invasive aquatic plant recently found in several counties, hydrilla could impact New York’s fishing, boating, swimming, and waterfront property values. Hydrilla has been shown to alter the physical and chemical characteristics of lakes. Major colonies of hydrilla can alter the physical and chemical characteristics of lakes: This plant can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below.This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. It is a tenacious weed that has several ways to propagate: seeds, plant fragments, tubers, and turions (a type of bud). Hydrilla closely resembles two other aquatic plants found in Washington: The non-native plant Brazilian elodea – Egeria densa and the native plant American waterweed – Elodea canadensis. Long story short, it and any aquatic plant would make good compost, just know what you are dealing with. Stems can be more than 35 feet long. 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