Water felt
Vaucheria spp. · Algae
Up close · Photo: unmotivated_frog / CC BY
Also called Green felt, Yellow green algae, Felt algae, Vaucheria
How to identify Water felt
- Dark green felt or velvet carpet on mud or wet soil
- Thick, coarse, unbranched to sparsely branched threads
- Feels like felt; mats hold together when lifted
- Often on damp banks, seeps and shallow mud, not floating
Similar species
Rhizoclonium and Cladophora mats are looser and stringier; moss has tiny leaves.
Growth profile
| Season | Grows in cool weather from late fall through spring and often declines in summer heat. |
|---|---|
| Starts | Cool water, about 40 to 55 F |
| Light | Moderate light; tolerates shade |
| Depth | On mud and wet soil at or just below the waterline |
| How it spreads or reproduces | Fragments and spores |
| Habitat | Shallow mud, seeps, ditches, canal banks and stream margins, including wet ground at the waterline. |
Why it matters in a lake
Can carpet exposed mud and canal banks. Often mistaken for moss.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Occasional
- Oregon: Occasional
- Wyoming: Occasional
Classification
| Kingdom | Chromista |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Ochrophyta |
| Class | Xanthophyceae |
| Order | Vaucheriales |
| Family | Vaucheriaceae |
| Scientific name | Vaucheria spp. |
Spirogyra
Cladophora
Horsehair algae
Oedogonium
Rhizoclonium
Water net
Mougeotia
Zygnema
Microspora
StigeocloniumNeed a hand?
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