Elodea canadensis

Common waterweed, Common Waterweed

Family: Hydrocharitaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Common waterweed is a California native perennial found in the Northern Coast Ranges, Central High Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California Ranges, and Great Basin in shallow water, sloughs, ponds, and lakes at elevations of 300 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from July to August, this aquatic plant produces delicate white flowers nestled among dense leaf clusters. Growing with slender, flaccid stems that spread through shallow waters, it forms extensive underwater meadows. Its leaves are densely arranged at stem tips, typically three per node, with narrow linear blades 5 to 15 millimeters long and 2 to 5 millimeters wide, tapering to obtuse or abruptly pointed tips. The plant can reproduce vegetatively, creating extensive colonies in quiet water environments.

Habitat: Shallow water, sloughs, ponds, lakes

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 300-2600 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, CaRH, SNH, GV, SnFrB, SnGb, SnBr, GB

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.