Wild Celery
Vallisneria americana
Also known as: Eelgrass, Tapegrass
A fully submerged native that sends up long, ribbon-like leaves from the bottom, forming underwater meadows that oxygenate the water and shelter fish. Tiny female flowers reach the surface on coiling stalks. A premier food for diving ducks like canvasbacks — and a workhorse of water-quality and lake restoration.
- Family
- Hydrocharitaceae
- Type
- grass
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–4 ft
- Spacing
- 1–3 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade
- Soil moisture
- wet
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- July, August, September
- Bloom colors
- white
- Landscape uses
- naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, CT, FL, IA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV