Vallisneria americana
Vallisneria americana
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A water plant for a large aquarium or for deep water outdoors[1], it prefers slightly acid conditions in a sunny position[2]. This species is not very hardy in Britain, though it should succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country[2]. A valuable water oxygenator[2]. The leaves can be up to 1 metre long[1]. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Male flowers are produced below the surface of the water and females are produced on the surface. Fertilization takes place when male flowers break off the plant, float to the surface and fall into a slight depression formed by the female flowers on the surface of the water[3].
Propagation
Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Lay the seed on the surface of a pot of soil and immerse this in water. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in water in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of rooted runners in the growing season. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Vallisneria+americana>
Pollinators
Water
References
- [1]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
- [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [3]Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas — Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J · Botanical Research Institute, Texas. · 1999 · http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm · ISBN 1-889878-01-4 ↩︎An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.
- [4]Flora of Canada — Livingstone. B. · National Museums of Canada · 1978 · ISBN 0-660-00025-3 ↩︎In 4 volumes, it does not deal with plant uses but gives descriptions and habitats.
- [5]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.