Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
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Hydrilla verticillata
Hydrilla, Water Thyme, Florida Elodea
Hydrocharitaceae
Aquatic. Sydney area and north, the lower Blue Mountains, and along the Murray River.
Submerged perennial herb with stems to 8 m long, attached to the substrate, usually forming a canopy immediately below the water surface. Leaves in whorls of 3–8, 0.6–4 cm long, to 5 mm wide, hairless, green, often with red-brown markings, 1-veined; margins coarsely toothed with fine translucent teeth; tips blunt to rounded with the midvein extended into a fine tooth. Male and female flowers on different plants. Flowers translucent, with 3 'petals' each 1–3 mm long. Male flower single, released as a globular, mature unopened bud and opening as a free-floating flower on the water surface. Female flowers 1.5–10 cm long, mostly single, sometimes 2 together. Flowering: during warmer months.
Rare Vic.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Hydrilla~verticillata (accessed 19 January, 2021)
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