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Aquatic Plant ID
They go by different names. You may call them “weeds,” “grass” or “moss.” Aquatic plants are an integral part of the Tennessee River’s ecosystem, whether providing nutrients for the species at the bottom of the food chain, cover and ambush areas for largemouth bass or food source for the multitude of local waterfowl.
This guide provides information to help you understand when these plants are most productive, where they grow and—most importantly—help you identify them. Whether you are an angler, property owner or any other lake user, we invite you to learn more about the aquatic plants present in our Tennessee Valley region reservoirs.
The guide also offers season-by-season tips for fishing among these plants.
Floating and Floating Leaf Plants
Arrowhead
Arrowhead (Sagittaria sp.), native. takes its name from its distinctive shape. Arrowhead plants have long grown in the Tennessee Valley region.
Description
Arrowhead is a rooted, erect perennial herb with slender rhizomes, sometimes with potato-like corms at their base. Unbranched stalks, up to 4 feet long, support arrowhead-shaped leaves, which can grow up to 18 inches in length. Flowers grow on a long stalk in whorls of 3 with 2 to 12 whorls on a stalk. Female flower whorls generally occur just below male flower whorls on the same stalk. The flowers have three green sepals and three white petals.
Habitat
Arrowhead is native species common in marshy wetlands, swales, sloughs, pond margins, shallow springs and streams throughout the southeastern United States, including the Tennessee Valley. There are at least four similar species of arrowhead that occur in the Tennessee Valley region.
Identifying Features
What It Looks Like—Arrowhead has a distinctive arrowhead-shaped leaf from which it gets its name. The leaf has pronounced pointed lobes on the rear of the ”arrowhead.” The small white flowers growing in whorls of 3 around a long stalk are also distinguishable.
Where to Find It—Arrowhead is common in marginal areas of pond and lakes.
Similar Species—Arrowhead is similar to pickerelweed, but the leaves are a more pronounced arrowhead shape. The flowers are white while pickelrelweed has purple flowers.
Drawbacks
Arrowhead rarely causes water use issues and is seldom managed in a reservoir setting.
Shoreline Plants
Arrowhead
Arrowhead (Sagittaria sp.), native. takes its name from its distinctive shape. Arrowhead plants have long grown in the Tennessee Valley region.
Description
Arrowhead is a rooted, erect perennial herb with slender rhizomes, sometimes with potato-like corms at their base. Unbranched stalks, up to 4 feet long, support arrowhead-shaped leaves, which can grow up to 18 inches in length. Flowers grow on a long stalk in whorls of 3 with 2 to 12 whorls on a stalk. Female flower whorls generally occur just below male flower whorls on the same stalk. The flowers have three green sepals and three white petals.
Habitat
Arrowhead is native species common in marshy wetlands, swales, sloughs, pond margins, shallow springs and streams throughout the southeastern United States, including the Tennessee Valley. There are at least four similar species of arrowhead that occur in the Tennessee Valley region.
Identifying Features
What It Looks Like—Arrowhead has a distinctive arrowhead-shaped leaf from which it gets its name. The leaf has pronounced pointed lobes on the rear of the ”arrowhead.” The small white flowers growing in whorls of 3 around a long stalk are also distinguishable.
Where to Find It—Arrowhead is common in marginal areas of pond and lakes.
Similar Species—Arrowhead is similar to pickerelweed, but the leaves are a more pronounced arrowhead shape. The flowers are white while pickelrelweed has purple flowers.
Drawbacks
Arrowhead rarely causes water use issues and is seldom managed in a reservoir setting.
Submersed Plants
Arrowhead
Arrowhead (Sagittaria sp.), native. takes its name from its distinctive shape. Arrowhead plants have long grown in the Tennessee Valley region.
Description
Arrowhead is a rooted, erect perennial herb with slender rhizomes, sometimes with potato-like corms at their base. Unbranched stalks, up to 4 feet long, support arrowhead-shaped leaves, which can grow up to 18 inches in length. Flowers grow on a long stalk in whorls of 3 with 2 to 12 whorls on a stalk. Female flower whorls generally occur just below male flower whorls on the same stalk. The flowers have three green sepals and three white petals.
Habitat
Arrowhead is native species common in marshy wetlands, swales, sloughs, pond margins, shallow springs and streams throughout the southeastern United States, including the Tennessee Valley. There are at least four similar species of arrowhead that occur in the Tennessee Valley region.
Identifying Features
What It Looks Like—Arrowhead has a distinctive arrowhead-shaped leaf from which it gets its name. The leaf has pronounced pointed lobes on the rear of the ”arrowhead.” The small white flowers growing in whorls of 3 around a long stalk are also distinguishable.
Where to Find It—Arrowhead is common in marginal areas of pond and lakes.
Similar Species—Arrowhead is similar to pickerelweed, but the leaves are a more pronounced arrowhead shape. The flowers are white while pickelrelweed has purple flowers.
Drawbacks
Arrowhead rarely causes water use issues and is seldom managed in a reservoir setting.