Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

The Americas

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds, Runners

Status

Uncommon

About

This aquatic herb grows across wetlands and waterways throughout the Americas. Its stems produce buoyant, sponge-like tissue that allows the plant to float on water.

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

Magnoliopsida

Order

Myrtales

Family

Onagraceae

Genus

Ludwigia

Species

Ludwigia peploides