Habit: Plant from rhizomes, occasionally with overwintering buds (late in growing season); occasionally terrestrial.
Stem: simple or branched, generally green.
Leaf: submersed leaves generally whorled, 3--6 per node; emergent leaves entire to pinnately divided, occasionally bract-like.
Inflorescence: generally emergent, spike-like, simple or branched, terminal, flowers in whorls.
Flower: proximal pistillate, middle occasionally bisexual, distal staminate; calyx lobes 4; petals generally 4, ephemeral on staminate flowers, minute or 0 on pistillate flowers; stamens generally 8; ovary 4-chambered.
Fruit: mericarps 4, nut-like.
Species In Genus: +- 60 species: worldwide.
Etymology: (Greek: many leaves, from leaf segments)
Note: Myriophyllum specimens best collected in flower or fruit.
Unabridged Note: Plants should be washed first and then "floated" on the herbarium mounting paper in a shallow dish with water [see Ceska & Ceska 1987 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 73:825--827].Jepson eFlora Author: Adolf Ceska & Oldriska Ceska
Reference: Ceska et al. 1986 Brittonia 38:73--81
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)Key to Myriophyllum
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