Water purslane
Ludwigia palustris · Aquatic plants
A stand of it · Photo: Étienne Lacroix-Carignan / CC0
Also called Marsh purslane, Marsh seedbox
How to identify Water purslane
- Small opposite oval leaves, shiny and reddish green
- Tiny green flowers without petals in the leaf joints
- Creeping stems that root at the joints and float in shallow water
- Often forms low mats on mud
Similar plants
Invasive water primroses have large yellow flowers and alternate leaves, and water starworts have tiny notched leaves at the tips.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Grows from midspring, peaks and flowers from July to September, and dies back in fall while stem pieces and seeds survive. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 55 F water |
| Light | Full sun to partial shade |
| Depth | Moist mud to 2 feet of water |
| How it spreads | Creeping stems, stem fragments and seeds |
| Habitat | Muddy shores, ditches and shallow pond edges that rise and fall with the seasons. |
Why it matters in a lake
A small native plant that rarely forms a nuisance. It is often mistaken for invasive water primrose, so flower size is the key check.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Occasional
- Oregon: Occasional
- Wyoming: Not recorded
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Myrtales |
| Family | Onagraceae |
| Scientific name | Ludwigia palustris |
American pondweed
Floating leaf pondweed
Yellow pond lily
Fragrant water lily
Water smartweed
Floating marshpennywort
Uruguay water primrose
Watershield
Floating primrose willow
Hairy watercloverNeed a hand?
Is it taking over your lake?
We identify what is growing, map how much of it there is and build a control plan that targets it without harming the rest of the lake.
Idaho / Wyoming (208) 501-4531Oregon (541) 280-0596