Aquatic Plant Identification
A Deeper Look
Identify aquatic plants in Green Bay.
Wondering what's in the water? Thanks to the work of Colin Ritchie, environmental science and policy graduate student, you can access this resource to learn more about aquatic vegetation in the Green Bay area. This is not a comprehensive review of all aquatic vegetation, but focuses only on common aquatic vegetation.
Aquatic Videos
There are two components to this resource: a table of contents that specifies the time codes for each species that is covered in each video (for those looking for a specific species), as well as a video organized around a common characteristic the group of aquatic vegetation share (e.g. entire leaves, floating leaves). Colin Ritchie's research project was in collaboration with Amy Carrozzino-Lyon and Titus Seilheimer.
Simple Leaves
Simple leaves are just what they sound like. They're probably what you think of when you think of a leaf: a blade that's one piece.
| Plant | Time Stamp |
|---|---|
| Clasping-leaf Pondweed Potamogeton richardsonii | 00:18 |
| Curly-leaf Pondweed Potamogeton crispus | 01:07 |
| Flat-stem Pondweed Potamogeton zosteriformis | 02:02 |
| Water Stargrass Heteranthera dubia | 03:09 |
| Friesʼ Pondweed Potamogeton friesii | 04:22 |
| Leafy Pondweed Potamogeton foliosus | 05:17 |
| Wild Celery Vallisneria americana | 06:06 |
| Arrowhead (Juvenile) Sagittaria spp. | 07:37 |
| Small Pondweed Potamogeton pusillus | 08:14 |
| Commonly Confused Species | 08:32 |
Whorled or Divided Leaves
A whorl is a pattern of spirals, so a whorled leaf is a circular arrangement of at least three leaves around a stem or stalk.
| Plant | Time Stamp |
|---|---|
| Coontail Ceratophyllum demersum | 00:17 |
| Common Bladderwort Utricularia macrorhiza | 01:19 |
| Stonewort Nitella spp. | 03:19 |
| Eurasian Watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum | 04:28 |
| Northern Watermilfoil Myriophyllum sibiricum | 05:19 |
| Sago Pondweed Stuckenia pectinata | 05:59 |
| Water Marigold Megalodanta beckii | 07:01 |
| White Water Crowfoot Ranunculus aquatilis | 07:36 |
| Commonly Confused Species | 08:27 |
Emergent Vegetation
Often found in the shallows near the shore, this type of vegetation grows above the water's surface and is rooted in the water.
| Plant | Time Stamp |
|---|---|
| Bulrush Schoenoplectus spp. | 00:20 |
| Bur-reed Sparganium spp. | 01:09 |
| Cattail Typha spp. | 01:57 |
| Phragmites Phragmities australis | 02:53 |
| Pickerelweed Pontederia cordata | 03:48 |
| Purple Loosetrife Lythrum salicaria | 04:22 |
| River Bullrush Bolboschoenus fluviatilis | 05:04 |
| Sedges Carex spp. | 05:39 |
| Reed Canary Grass Phalaris arundinacea | 06:20 |
| Iris Iris spp. | 07:09 |
| Northern Wild Rice (Emergent) Zizania palustris | 08:04 |
| Southern Wild Rice Zizania aquatica | 09:27 |
| Commonly Confused Species | 09:48 |
Floating Vegetation
As the name implies, floating vegetation floats in the water. Its roots hang below.
| Plant | Time Stamp |
|---|---|
| Wolffia Wolffia spp. | 00:20 |
| White Water Lily Nymphaea odorata | 00:55 |
| Bullhead Pond Lily Nuphar variegata | 01:43 |
| European Frog-bit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae | 02:17 |
| Duckweeds Lemna minor & Spirodela polyrhiza | 03:26 |
| Forked Duckweed Lemna trisulca | 04:01 |
| Floating-leaf Pondweed Potamogeton natans | 04:49 |
| Long-leaf Pondweed Potamogeton nodosus | 06:25 |
| Water Smartweed Pontederia cordata | 07:48 |
| Northern Wild Rice (Floating-leaf) Zizania palustris | 08:36 |
| Commonly Confused Species | 10:26 |
Ask an Expert
Herbarium curator Keir Wefferling is passionate about plant life in Wisconsin; even when he's not working, he's botanizing, playing outside, or reading about moss or Wisconsin's natural plant communities. If you have questions, he can help.