Phyllanthus fluitans

Common Name: red root floater

Family: Phyllanthaceae

Common Synonyms: none

USDA Hardiness Zone: NA

Growth Habit: Floating Aquatic

Origin: Central and South America

FISC Category: -

FDACS Listed Noxious Weed: No

Introduction Date: Earliest Florida specimen vouchered in 2010.

IFAS Assessment:

• North: CAUTION
• Central: CAUTION
• South: CAUTION

Description

Perennial aquatic herb with shoots floating on the water surface. Stems brittle, 1 to 1.5 mm in diameter, up to 13 cm long, with clusters of brown and pink roots at nodes. Leaves distichously arranged, 9 to 17 mm long, circular, densely papillate, entire, base cordate, tip notched, light blue-green in color. Leaf blade with peculiar elliptical pocket on each side of the midrib, proturberant above, concave below, with folds on the leaf surface. Flowers axillary, white, minute, 2-4 mm wide. Fruit a 3 mm wide, depressed globose capsule.

Habitat

Canal, river.

Comments

Species sold as aquarium plant. Discovered in 2010 as naturalized in the Peace River drainage. Population herbicided to attempt extermination.

Control Methods

• Manual: NA
• Chemical: Foliar: aquatic labeled diquat dibromide.
• Biological: NA

Control Notes

NA

References

IFAS, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. 2013. Red root floater, Phyllanthus fluitans. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/708. Accessed on December 9, 2013.

IFAS, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. 2013. Weed Alert: Red root floater (Phyllanthus fluitans). http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/weedalert/invasiveplants_redrootfloater.pdf. Accessed on December 9, 2013.