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Myriophyllum

 
Myriophyllum

 
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Myriophyllum
 
 
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Myriophyllum (water milfoil) is a genus of about 45 species of freshwater aquatic plant
Aquatic plant

Aquatic plants — also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes — are plants that have adapted to living in or on aquatic environments....
s, with a cosmopolitan distribution
Cosmopolitan distribution

In biogeography, a biological category of living things is said to have cosmopolitan distribution if this category can be found almost anywhere around the world....
. Its name comes from Latin, "myrio" meaning "too many to count", and "phyllum", meaning "leaf".

These submersed aquatic plants have whorled leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 that are finely, pinnate
Pinnate

Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna for "feather"....
ly divided. The leaves above the water are stiffer and smaller than the submerged leaves on the same plant. The flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are small with four petals and are borne in the leaf axils or in a terminal, emergent spike.

Waterfowl eat the fruits and leaves and muskrats eat the entire plant.

It has a long soft but fairly brittle stem.






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Myriophyllum (water milfoil) is a genus of about 45 species of freshwater aquatic plant
Aquatic plant

Aquatic plants — also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes — are plants that have adapted to living in or on aquatic environments....
s, with a cosmopolitan distribution
Cosmopolitan distribution

In biogeography, a biological category of living things is said to have cosmopolitan distribution if this category can be found almost anywhere around the world....
. Its name comes from Latin, "myrio" meaning "too many to count", and "phyllum", meaning "leaf".

These submersed aquatic plants have whorled leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 that are finely, pinnate
Pinnate

Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna for "feather"....
ly divided. The leaves above the water are stiffer and smaller than the submerged leaves on the same plant. The flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are small with four petals and are borne in the leaf axils or in a terminal, emergent spike.

Waterfowl eat the fruits and leaves and muskrats eat the entire plant.

It has a long soft but fairly brittle stem. The leaves of the plant only present near surface of the water, while flowers are formed above the surface of the pond.

Various species of water milfoil have become naturalized in water bodies of nearly every state in the continental U.S.

This plant may be a hidden resource, eventually seen as a valuable cellulose feed stock in a biofuel
Biofuel

Biofuel is defined as solid, liquid or gaseous fuel derived from relatively recently dead biological material and is distinguished from fossil fuels, which are petroleum#formation....
 refinery. Cellulosic ethanol
Cellulosic ethanol

Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel produced from wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants.It is a type of biofuel produced from lignocellulose, a structural material that comprises much of the mass of plants....
, or butanol fuel
Butanol fuel

Butanol may be used as a fuel in an internal combustion engine. Because its longer hydrocarbon chain causes it to be fairly Chemical polarity, it is more similar to gasoline than it is to ethanol....
 are seen by many as growing trends in green fuels (including jet fuel).

Control

A common species, Eurasian water milfoil, is often controlled with herbicide
Herbicide

A herbicide is used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant hormones....
 containing the chemical diquat dibromide. Control can also be done through careful mechanical management but caution must be used since this is a fragmenting plant, and the fragments may grow back. Milfoil is an invasive aquatic plant species from Asia.

Mechanical management can include the use of a long reach lake rake or aquatic weed razor blade tool. Using these tools would be similar to lawn work. These tools are most effective before seeds set. Another very effective use is to keep the plants from ever starting to grow through the use of a Weed Roller or a Beach Groomer. These are considered to be automated and unattended machines. Permits may be required by various states. A guide to state permits and aquatic vegetation management can be found at http://www.WeedersDigest.com

Recently, Professor Sallie Sheldon of Middlebury College
Middlebury College

Middlebury College is a private Liberal arts colleges in the United States located in Middlebury , Vermont, Vermont, United States. Drawing 2,350 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts, humanities, literature, foreign languages, social sciences, and natural sciences....
 has found that an aquatic weevil
Weevil

A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionidae superfamily. They are usually small, less than 6 mm , and Herbivore. Due to the shape of their heads, weevils are commonly known as snout beetles....
 (Euhrychiopsis lecontei), which eats nothing but milfoil, may be the most effective weapon against it.

Selected species
  • Myriophyllum alterniflorum
  • Myriophyllum aquaticum
  • Myriophyllum diccocum
  • Myriophyllum elatinoides
  • Myriophyllum farwellii
  • Myriophyllum heterophyllum
  • Myriophyllum hippuroides
  • Myriophyllum humile
  • Myriophyllum laxum
  • Myriophyllum matogrossense
    Myriophyllum matogrossense

    Myriophyllum matogrossense is native to the wetlands of South America. It is popularly used as an aquarium plant....
  • Myriophyllum pinnatum
  • Myriophyllum quitense
  • Myriophyllum sibiricum
  • Myriophyllum spicatum
    Myriophyllum spicatum

    Myriophyllum spicatum is a species of Myriophyllum native to Europe, Asia, and north Africa. It is a submerged aquatic plant, and grows in still or slow-moving water....
  • Myriophyllum tenellum
  • Myriophyllum tuberculatum
  • Myriophyllum ussuriense
  • Myriophyllum variifolium
  • Myriophyllum verrucosum
  • Myriophyllum verticillatum