Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Myriophyllum aquaticum

Other names

Parrot Feather Watermilfoil.

Family

Haloragaceae

Flowering season

July to October

English distribution

It is scattered throughout the country but is more common

in the South and the Southwest.

See the BSBI distribution map for Parrot's-feather

Habitat

It is a neophyte from South America, which has been

grown in the UK since 1870s, and has been known in the

wild since the 1960s.

It grows in small, nutrient-rich water bodies, such as

ponds and ditches, as well as in larger water bodies such

as canals andreservoirs.

The pictures shown here are from a sheltered pond close

to Golden Cap on the Jurassic Coast in West Dorset.

The pond is completely covered by a thick mass of

plants.

It can clog waterways and exclude native species.

It is classed as an invasive alien by the NNSS

(Non-Native Species Secretariat) and it has been illegal

to sell it in the EU and the UK since 2014. Details of

the NNSS description can be seen by clicking on this

link Parrot's-feather.

Description

Parrot's-feather is a perennial herb forming dense

masses in water bodies.

Aerial stems are up to 30cm and have whorls of 4-6

bright green,feathery leaves.

Flowers are in the axils of the leaves and are small

(up to 2mm) and white.

In the UK, only female flowers are produced and they do

not fruit.

The stems are up to 2m and they root at the nodes.

It spreads vegetatively by fragmentation and probably

arises as throw-outs from aquaculture.