Weed Control

How to Control Aquatic Weed Types and Aquatic Plants

Ponds grow a variety of pond weed types, many of which look similar. The aquatic weed identification information below lists the most common weed types -- including emergent, submerged, and floating weeds -- to help you explore and identify aquatic weeds in your pond or lake.

For those looking for weed control solutions, Lake Restoration has developed all-in-one pond and lake weed control kits that make it unnecessary to identify the type of weeds in your pond. Feel free to use the information below to facilitate your pond weed identification goals, or contact us today to talk to our customer support team about the right control product for your pond or lake.

Weed Chart

Flatstem Pondweed

Flat-Stem Pondweed

Flat-stem pondweed has both a flat stem and flat leaves with no floating leaves.

American Pondweed

American pondweed (also called long-leaf pondweed) has elliptical-shaped floating leaves that are green and often have brown spots.

Small/Baby Pondweed

Small pondweed produces only submersed leaves that are light green and nearly three inches long.

Floating-Leaf Pondweed

Floating-leaf pondweed has long, narrow, stiff submersed leaves and two- to four-inch long floating leaves on long stalks.

Muck

Muck can build up inches or feet on the bottom of a pond or lake.

Robbins Pondweed

Robbin’s Pondweed

Robbin’s pondweed has thick and course submersed leaves with a prominent yellow vein in the middle.

Whitestem Pondweed

White-Stem Pondweed

White-stem pondweed has a zig-zag stem with alternately arranged wavy green leaves.

Illinois Pondweed

Illinois Pondweed

Illinois Pondweed has lance–shaped submerged leaves eight inches long that come to a point at the end.

Large-Leaf Pondweed

Large-Leaf Pondweed

Large-Leaf pondweed has long, wide floating leaves that curl away from the stem.

Brittle Naiad, Marine Naiad

Brittle naiad is a submerged plant with small brittle leaves that are stiff and toothed.

Fanwort (Cabomba)

Fanwort

Fanwort is a delicate, feathery-looking submerged weed.

Excess Nutrients

Excess nutrients can make the water look cloudy, murky, or muddy.

Egeria

Egeria

Egeria is a submerged plant with three to six leaves per whorl and no midrib teeth.

Elodea

Elodea

Elodea is a submerged plant that has three leaves per whorl and no midrib teeth.

Eelgrass

Eelgrass, Wild Celery

Eelgrass has long ribbon-like leaves with very distinctive veins like that of celery.

Water Buttercup

Water Buttercup

Water Buttercup has showy white or yellow flowers during the summer months and has finely divided leaves.

Chara Algae

Chara Algae

Chara at first appears more like a submerged plant, but it is not truly rooted to the bottom of the pond or lake.

Azolla, Mosquito Fern

Azolla, Mosquito Fern

Mosquito fern floats on the surface, forming large colonies, and can be green or red to brown.

Salvinia

Salvinia

Salvinia is a free-floating aquatic fern.

Bladderwort

Bladderwort has small bladders attached to the leaf-like branches, which are alternately arranged.