Water milfoil, Eurasian water milfoil
Myriophyllum spicatum
Family: Haloragaceae
What it is like
A water plant which keeps growing from year to year. The stems can be simple or branched. They are up to 2 m long. The leaves are in rings of 3-4 leaves and are almost under the water. They are 1-3 cm long. They are divided into leaflets along the stalk and these leaflets are very narrow. There are 6-12 leaflets. The flowers is like a spike and emerges above the water. The flowers are separately male and female but on the same plant. The lower flowers in the spike are female and the upper ones are male. There are 4 petals about 2.5 mm long. Male flowers have 8 stamens.
There are about 60 Myriophyllum species. It can be invasive.
Where it is found
It grows in temperate and tropical places. It grows in ponds in water up to 3 m deep. It is used in aquaria. In Pakistan it occurs on freshwater lakes between 1,000-2,500 m altitude. In Tibet it grows up to 5,200 m above sea level.
Countries/locations it is found in
Afghanistan, Africa, America, Asia, Botswana, Britain, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central Asia, China, East Africa, Ethiopia, Europe, Georgia, Himalayas, India, Indonesia, Korea, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Nepal, North Africa, North America, Pakistan, Philippines, SE Asia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tibet, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
The rhizomes are eaten raw, fried in grease or roasted. They are frozen and stored.
Edible parts
Root
How it is grown
It grows from fragments of the stem. It can also grow from seed.