Mudwort
Limosella aquatica · Aquatic plants
Whole plant · Photo: Patrick Le Mao / CC0
Also called Water mudwort, Northern mudwort
How to identify Mudwort
- Small rosette of spoon shaped leaves on long stalks
- Tiny white to pale pink flowers on short stalks
- Spreads by runners across mud
- Plants often less than 2 inches tall
Similar plants
Plantain seedlings and arrowhead seedlings are larger, and waterwort has opposite leaves on creeping stems.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Annual that sprouts as water drops in late spring or summer, flowers and seeds within weeks, and dies in fall. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | Warm exposed mud or shallow water, roughly 55 to 60 F |
| Light | Needs full sun |
| Depth | Moist mud to 1 foot |
| How it spreads | Seeds and runners |
| Habitat | Muddy shores, drawdown zones and shallow pools of ponds and reservoirs. |
Why it matters in a lake
Quickly covers bare mud when water levels drop. Seeds remain in the mud for years.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Occasional
- Oregon: Occasional
- Wyoming: Occasional
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Lamiales |
| Family | Scrophulariaceae |
| Scientific name | Limosella aquatica |
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Baltic rushNeed a hand?
Is it taking over your lake?
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