Myriophyllum aquaticum
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Common Name: diamond milfoil
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Haloragaceae
Zone: 6 to 10
Native Range: South America, Australia, New Zealand, Java
Height: 0.25 to 0.5 feet
Spread: 0.5 to 1 feet
Bloom Time: July to August
Bloom Color: Green, Yellow
Bloom Description: Yellowish-green
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Wet
Maintenance: Medium
Flowers: Flowers not Showy
Wildlife: Attracts Birds
Uses: Rain Garden, Water Plant, Will Naturalize

Culture

Winter hardy to USDA Zones 6-10. In water gardens, grow in containers submerged in up to 6” of water or on wet banks. Also may be grown in the shallow margins of a pond. Best in organically rich soils in full sun to part shade. Thin clumps as needed. Cuttings will root easily. Cut stems back below water line in fall. Foliage dies back to the rhizomes in winter.

Noteworthy Characteristics

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.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems. Can spread invasively in natural ponds when winter hardy.

Garden Uses

Transitional plant for water gardens and ponds.

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