Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Saxifragales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Myriophyllum laxum
FAMILY
Haloragaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Loose Water-milfoil grows very much like M. heterophyllum and also has reddish stems and greenish brown leaves. However, it has only 7-15 (-17) leaf segments vs. 15-31 (-37), and its flowering bracts are tiny and barely longer than flowers and fruits vs. broad and much longer in that more common species. Learn more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Myriophyllum laxum
FAMILY
Haloragaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Myriophyllum laxum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 138-02-002:
Myriophyllum laxum FAMILY Haloragaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Myriophyllum laxum
COMMON NAME:
Loose Water-milfoil, Sandhills Milfoil, Lax Water-milfoil, Piedmont Water-milfoil
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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JK Marlow jkm160914_081
September
SE-EPPC Aquatic Plant ID Workshop
Its reddish submersed stems can be confused with M. heterophyllum when sterile, per Weakley's Flora.
COMPARE
aquatic plants
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Myriophyllum laxum
FAMILY
Haloragaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Myriophyllum laxum
FAMILY
Haloragaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Myriophyllum laxum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 138-02-002:
Myriophyllum laxum
FAMILY
Haloragaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Myriophyllum laxum
4045
Submersed aquatic w flowers & fruits above the surface (rooted); Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Limesink depression ponds (dolines), spring-runs, rarely also in lakes, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Leaves well-developed: pinnately divided with filiform segments
Submersed lvs alternate &/or pseudo-whorled. Bracts of emersed shoots different
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Reddish
4 sepals
4 petals
4-8 stamens
Inferior ovary
Usually bisexual & staminate in the same inflorescence
Flowers in spikes
FRUIT:
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p411
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p233
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".