Wetland Plants

Why Are Wetland Plants Important?
Provides shelter and Oxygen
Main food for waterfowl, amphibians, and mammals such as muskrats and deer
Erosion control
Breeding location for many animals
Some used by people for food, tools, and medicine

Types of Wetland Plants
Grasses and Sedges
Pondweeds
Cattails
Carnivorous Plants

Types of Wetland Plants
Duckweeds
Invasive Wetland Plants
Miscellaneous Wetland Plants

Grasses
COMMON REED GRASS (Phragmites australis (Cav.)Trin.)
Found in marshes, meadows, fens, and lakes, sometimes in 6 ft. of water
Can form large, monotypic stands
Good winter habitat for white-tailed deer, ring-necked pheasant, and eastern cottontail

Grasses
WILD RICE
(Zizania aquatica L.)
Leaves go through floating
stage before emerging
Found in marshes, lakes, ponds, and streams from 1.5 – 3.0 ft.
Fruit an important food for waterfowl and commercial agriculture

Grasses
WILD MILLET
(Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv.)
Naturalized here from Europe
Grows in moist, poorly drained
areas
Widespread in all warmer regions
of the world
Nutlets important food for
waterfowl

Sedges
LAKE SEDGE
(Carex lacustris Willd.)
Common and found in shallow water of swamps, marshes, lakes, and streams
Forms scattered clones or beds
Achenes eaten by waterfowl

Sedges
SLOUGH SEDGE
(Carex atherodes Sprengel)
Found in bogs, marshes, meadows,
ditches, and river and lake edges
Most common sedge of prairie
potholes
Birds use for food and nesting,
muskrats eat roots, moose need
for sodium when calving

Sedges
HUMMOCK SEDGE
(Carex stricta Lam.)
Forms large tufts or hummocks
Great nesting site for many
species of bird
Achenes eaten by Mallard,
Wood Duck, Wild Turkey, etc.
Also called Tussock Sedge or
Upright Sedge

Sedges
HARDSTEM BULRUSH (Scirpus acutus Muhl.)
Found in marshes and shorelines to 5 ft. deep
Tolerates brackish water
Native Americans used for food and household items
Provides food, cover, and nesting habitat for waterfowl

Sedges
THREE-SQUARE BULRUSH
(Scirpus pungens Vahl.)
Grows in marshes, fens, and lake and stream borders in up to 2.5 ft. of water
Entire plant eaten by geese and muskrats
Stands are primary wintering ground for snow geese
Many uses for people

Sedges
BLUNT SPIKE-RUSH
(Eleocharis obtusa (Willd.) Schult.)
Colonizes mudflats, shorelines, and
marshes
Commonly found in disturbed, saturated
soils like farmed wetlands, created
wetlands, or restoration sites
Can use C3 or C4 pathways
depending on stem submergence

Pondweeds
SAGO PONDWEED
(Potamogeton pectinatus L.)
Found in marshes, lakes and streams usually at depths to 5 ft.
Diving ducks rely on tubers as food source
Dabbling ducks eat foliage and seeds
Good fish habitat

Pondweeds
CLASPINGLEAF PONDWEED
(Potamogeton perfoliatus L.)
Found in fresh to moderately brackish and alkaline waters
Seeds, stems, and rootstock are food for redhead ducks, canvasbacks, mallards, black ducks, Canada geese and tundra swans
Also called Redhead Grass

Cattails
BROAD-LEAVED CATTAIL
(Typha latifolia L.)
Grows in almost every wetland community
Spreads extensively by rhizome
Important food source for wildlife
Also edible for people

Cattails
NARROW-LEAVED CATTAIL (Typha angustifolia L.)
Similar to T. latifolia except that staminate and pistillate portions of spike are separated by 2 cm
Broad-leaved and narrow-leaved cattail freely hybridize to form Typha x glauca
Tolerates severe degradation of wetlands
May be invasive and displace other plant species

Carnivorous Plants
BLADDERWORT
(Utricularia macrorhiza Le Conte)
Found in quiet waters of lakes, rivers, and marshes
Bladders have "trigger hairs" which, when brushed, cause the bladder
to inflate and draw in the tiny invertebrate
No known direct food value for
waterfowl

Carnivorous Plants
PURPLE PITCHER PLANT
(Sarracenia purpurea L.)
Found in bogs and some fens
Catches prey using lure of red lip
Inside pitcher has hairs facing down to prevent escape
Contains rain, dew, and a digestive enzyme
Meat not essential for survival

Duckweeds
Consists of floating plants, without leaves
Instead they have a flattened or globose frond
Most reproduction is vegetative by budding
Provides shelter and protection for aquatic animals, such as frogs, snakes, fish, insects, etc.

Duckweeds
World's smallest flowering plants
Used for bioremediation of wastewater
Can be bioengineered to produce therapeutic proteins
Food source for many birds and fish, especially ducks
Some species are Common Duckweed (Lemna minor L.), Star Duckweed (L. trisulca L.), Big Duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden ) , and Watermeal (Wolffia columbiana Karsten)

Invasive Plants
WATER MILFOIL
(Myriophyllum verticillatum L.)
Found in quiet waters of lakes, rivers, marshes, or muddy shores
From Europe, Asia, and northern Africa
Has less nutrient value than the native plant species it replaces
Manage by mechanical removal or manipulation of water level

Invasive Plants
PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE
(Lythrum salicaria L.)
Found in marshes, meadows, and shores of lakes and streams
Introduced from Eurasia for honey
Reduces waterfowl food and nesting
No appreciable wildlife food or cover value
Mechanical removal or glyphosate herbicide (Rodeo or Roundup)

Invasive Plants
WATER HYACINTH
(Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms)
Grows in ponds, canals, marshes, lakes, and along rivers
Native to Amazon basin
Dense mats reduce light to submerged plants, depleting O2
Management includes mechanical removal, insect biocontrol (weevil), and aquatic herbicides (temporary)

Invasive Plants
HYDRILLA
(Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle)
Found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, ponds, and ditches
Native to Asia, Africa, and Australia
Tends to form monospecific stands that can cover hundreds of acres
Eaten by waterfowl and considered important food source by some biologists
Manage by grass carp or dry hydrasoil

Misc. Wetland Plants
ELODEA (Elodea canadensis Michaux)
Found in marshes, lakes, rivers and Mississippi River backwaters
Waterfowl, especially ducks, as well as beaver and muskrat eat this plant
MUSKGRASS (Chara vulgaris L.)
Found in mineral-rich water
Important food for ducks
Common name comes from the strong, musk-like odor

Misc. Wetland Plants
WILD CELERY (Vallisneria americana Michaux)
Found in lakes, streams and Mississippi River backwaters
Diving ducks rely on wild celery for food during migration and in their wintering habitats
EELGRASS (Zostera marina L.)
Grow in shallow bays and coves, tidal creeks, and estuaries
Provides refuges for many species of fish and nursery areas for some

Misc. Wetland Plants
GIANT BUR-REED (Sparganium eurycarpum Engelm.)
Shallow water in streams and lake margins
Excellent food and habitat for waterfowl
Muskrats and deer eat the entire plant
BROAD-LEAVED ARROWHEAD
(Sagittaria latifolia Willd.)
Habitats include ponds, swamps, lakes, and the shores of rivers
Nicknamed “duck potato” for edible tuberous root

Misc. Wetland Plants
MARSH MILKWEED
(Asclepias incarnata L.)
Common in several wetland communities
Roots are eaten by muskrats
Host plant for Monarch butterflies
BLUE FLAG IRIS
(Iris versicolor L.)
Common in meadows, marshes, and along streambanks and shores
Rootstock fed upon by aquatic rodents
Used in gardens for brightly colored flowers

Misc. Wetland Plants
PINKWEED
(Polygonum pensylvanicum L.)
Found in shallow marshes and disturbed areas
Nutlets are important waterfowl and songbird food
Widgeon Grass
(Ruppia maritima L.)
Grows in shallow brackish water and in alkaline lakes, ponds, and streams
Valuable waterfowl food sources
Entire plant has excellent nutritional value