Myriophyllum aquaticum

Parrot Feather

NOT NATIVE TO MAINE - INVASIVE

NOTE: All leafy milfoils display a wide range of vegetative variability. All milfoils found in Maine waters should be considered “suspect” as potential invaders until a positive identification has been confirmed.

Habitat: Parrot feather is a water-milfoil species that is found in both the emergent and the submersed plant community. It can grow in mud, sand, or gravel. This plant may grow in dense stands in shallow water in coves of lakes or slow-moving streams, or coastal waters subject to salt intrusion.

Description: Parrot feather has both emergent and submersed leaves. The bright green emergent leaves are 2.5 cm to 5 cm long, and are the plant’s most distinctive characteristic, growing like a dense stand of miniature fir trees to a height of one foot above the surface of the water. The feather-like finely divided leaves have 10 to 18 pairs of thread-like leaflets and are arranged in whorls of 4 to 6 around the stem. Each leaf has a short petiole, less than 1 cm long, between the plant stem and the first of the leaflets. The submersed leaves are less vibrant, on tough, often thickly entangled cord-like stems. Small white flowers are inconspicuous and borne in the axils of the emergent leaves.

Origin and Range: Parrot feather is native to South America, and is considered invasive in the United States. It is present in New York and Rhode Island. Commercial trade of this plant for aquariums and water gardens has contributed to its spread. Parrot feather is not known to be present in Maine waters.

Annual Cycle: Parrot feather’s emergent stems and leaves die off in winter, and the plants regenerate from submerged stems the following spring. The flowers don’t produce seeds, and the plants reproduce only by fragmentation and root division.

Look Alikes: When emergent stems and leaves are not present, parrot feather may be confused with other water-milfoil species, water marigold, coontail, common bladderwort, white water crowfoot,yellow water crowfoot, fanwort, and mermaid-weed.