Hydrilla verticillata

Hydrilla verticillata: hydrilla

Plant Identification:

• Growth form: submerged aquatic perennial that can grow in depths of up to 30 feet
• Leaf: strap-shaped with pointed tips and serrated edges, growing in whorls of 4-8 (usually 5) around the stem. Leaf color can vary from green, yellowish, or brown
• Flower: small, white flowers on long slender stems on female plants, or small, green, free floating inverted bell-shaped flowers on male flowers
• Seed: Hydrilla produces turions (over-wintering buds) in the axils of leaves, and tubers (potato-like structures) within the sediment. Tubers can remain viable for up to 10 years

*Hydrilla is commonly mistaken for its native lookalike, Elodea canadensis, or for its invasive lookalike Egeria densa. 

Why We Need To Stop the Spread of Hydrilla

For more information about hydrilla identification, please visit:

• GoBotany
• Global Invasive Species Database
• New York Invasive Species (NYIS)
• National Park Service
• Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, IFAS

For more information about hydrilla best management practices, please visit:

• Global Invasive Species Database
• New York Invasive Species (NYIS)
• National Park Service
• Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, IFAS
• University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute