Wild celery
Vallisneria americana · Aquatic plants
Whole plant · Photo: Yann Kemper / CC0
Also called Eelgrass, Tape grass
How to identify Wild celery
- Long, ribbonlike leaves from a basal rosette
- Pale center stripe with lengthwise veins
- Female flowers float on long, coiled stalks
- Spreads by runners along the bottom
Similar plants
Ribbonleaf pondweed and bur reed have ribbon leaves on stems or with a raised midrib, while wild celery grows only from a basal rosette.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Starts growing in late spring once water warms, peaks in midsummer, flowers in August, and dies back in fall, overwintering as winter buds and rhizomes. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 55 to 60 F water |
| Light | Tolerates low light better than most plants |
| Depth | 1 to 15 feet |
| How it spreads | Runners, winter buds and seeds |
| Habitat | Lakes and slow rivers over firm sand or silt in clear to moderately clear water. |
Why it matters in a lake
Not native to these states and known from very few sites here. Its long leaves can reach the surface in dense beds.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Not recorded
- Oregon: Rare
- Wyoming: Not recorded
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Alismatales |
| Family | Hydrocharitaceae |
| Scientific name | Vallisneria americana |
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Slender naiadNeed a hand?
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