Parrot Feather Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum Aquaticum)

Features and Characteristics

Myriophyllum aquaticum, commonly called parrot’s feather or diamond milfoil, is a rhizomatous aquatic perennial that has both submerged and emergent feathery leaves that appear in whorls along the stems. Stems can grow to 6’ long. Submerged foliage is chartreuse. Emergent foliage is dark blue green. Emergent stems trail to shoreline and will root in the banks, making this a good transitional plant for margins of water gardens or ponds. Tiny yellowish-green flowers bloom in summer from the leaf axils of emergent stems. Submerged foliage serves as shelter for fish, helps remove excess nutrients and acts as an oxygenator. Native to South America, Australia and New Zealand, this plant has escaped cultivation and has naturalized throughout much of North America.

Genus name comes from the Greek words myrios meaning many and phyllon meaning a leaf with reference to the many divisions of the submerged leaves.

Specific epithet means growing in or near water.