Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds, Runners

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Uncommon

About

American eelgrass is a creeping aquatic plant that grows in shallow, slow-moving freshwater, mostly in the eastern United States. Its slender stems have a distinctive black and white striped appearance, and it is a primary food source for many fish.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Alismatales

Family

Hydrocharitaceae

Genus

Vallisneria

Species

Vallisneria americana