Najas graminea

Rice-field water-nymph, Rice-Field Water-Nymph

Family: Hydrocharitaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Rice-field water-nymph is a naturalized annual found in the Sacramento Valley, specifically in Butte and Colusa counties, inhabiting irrigation ditches and rice fields at elevations below 150 meters. Flowering from June to August, this aquatic plant has small flowers with distinctive features. Growing as a monoecious species with slender stems, it develops leaves with approximately 40 teeth along each margin and acute tips. Its leaves have deeply lobed sheaths, creating a delicate underwater structure. The tiny seeds are fusiform with a pitted, dull coat measuring 0.4 to 0.6 millimeters wide.

Habitat: Uncommon. Irrigation ditches, rice fields

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: < 150 m

Bioregions: ScV (Butte, Colusa cos.)

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