Eurasian Water-Milfoil - Little Bearskin Lake

Voucher Specimen At: UWSP Freckmann Herbarium

Status: Verified and Vouchered

Date First Found: 8/30/2008

About Eurasian Water-Milfoil

Eurasian water milfoil is a submersed aquatic plant native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. It is the only non-native milfoil in Wisconsin. Like most of the native milfoils, the Eurasian variety has slender stems whorled by submersed feathery leaves. The leaves are typically divided into 12 or more pairs of threadlike leaflets. The most common native water milfoils tend to have whitish or brownish stems, and leaves that divide into fewer than 10 pairs of leaflets. The stems of Eurasian water milfoil tend to be limp, and may show a pinkish-red color. The 4-petaled, pink flowers of Eurasian water milfoil are located on a spike that rises a few inches out of the water. Coontail is often mistaken for the milfoils, but its leaves are not feathery, but rather branch once or twice with several small teeth along the leaves. Bladderworts can also be mistaken for Eurasian watermilfoil, but they are easily distinguished by the presence of many small bladders on the leaves, which serve to trap and digest small aquatic insects.

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