Elodea canadensis is often called 'Canadian pondweed'.
Botanists describe it as a 'submerged hydrophyte'. That is, a plant with leaves
that grow below the surface of fresh water streams and ponds.
Elodea consists of shoots with a tightly-packed crown of leaves
at the tip. Roots can grow from the base of the leaves up to a length of
several metres. The roots will eventually penetrate the soil at the bottom of
the pond or stream.
The slender stems of Elodea are easily broken into pieces by the
action of wind, waves or animals. Each piece grows into a new individual plant,
identical to the parent plant. This is asexual reproduction.
In Elodea there are separate male and female flowers, found on
different plants. Only female plants have ever been discovered in Britain and
Europe. This means that the dramatic colonisation
shown by Elodea has been entirely caused by asexual reproduction
(vegetative propagation). Elodea does not spread by seeds in Europe. The
same thing has been discovered in Australia and New Zealand.
What is Elodea?