Coontail vs. Milfoil | Identify & Control

Overview

Although coontail and milfoil look similar with their branched stems and bushy leaves, they have a few differing characteristics that aid in the identification of each plant. Coontail feels rough when pulled through the hand and has straight leaves. Milfoil is smoother to the touch and has pairs of leaflets.

Another big difference is that coontail pond weed is a completely submersed plant, while milfoil has flower spikes that emerge from the surface. These are just a few simple ways to tell the two apart.

Coontail Identification

Coontail prefers more still waters and is not truly rooted but may have modified leaves holding onto the sediment. The leaves are about half an inch in length, typically dark green, and become thicker and bushier towards the ends of the stems, resembling a raccoon’s tail.

Coontail has up to 12 straight, flat leaves that are whorled and divided all the way to the midrib. Coontail weed has tiny teeth on its leaves, which gives it the rough feel that sets it apart from milfoil.

It’s a fully submerged plant; it may reach the surface with stems up to 11 feet long but does not grow above it. The stems of the weed are hollow and usually green; they may branch out but don’t always. Coontail is one of the most common aquatic plants in the world and is native to the United States.

Eurasian Watermilfoil Identification

While all other types of milfoils are native to the United States, Eurasian watermilfoil is not. It begins to grow earlier in the season than any native plants, beginning in the spring when waters reach about 59° F.

It is a rooted plant and will regrow each season from roots left behind, but it mainly reproduces through fragmentation. This weed tends to fragment more than most others, meaning it will take over the water body quite rapidly through both new growth and regrowth.

The reddish-brown hollow stems grow up to six feet long and branch at the surface. In fact, they branch so much that they’ll crowd out any native plants growing around them.

Eurasian watermilfoil flower stems grow above the water’s surface and produce small, nearly round, red flowers in whorls of four. Flower stems typically emerge no more than four inches above the water’s surface and bloom around mid-June and late July.

Eurasian milfoil is smooth when pulled through the hand, setting it distinctly apart from coontail. Its leaves are usually less than a half inch long and are whorled in pairs of 14-20 leaflets, which are leaf-like parts of a compound leaf. Essentially, they appear as though they’re leaves but are not directly attached to the main stem of the plant.

Eurasian vs. Northern or Other Milfoils

All milfoil variations are native to the United States except Eurasian. Here is a comparison of the three most common milfoils found in the U.S.:

	Eurasian	Northern	Variable Leaf
Growth Rate	Grows very rapidly and out of control	Grows more slowly and steadily	Grows very rapidly and out of control
Leaf Canopy	Creates canopies with branches and leaves	Does not create canopies	Creates canopies with branches and leaves
Submerged Leaves	Leaves no more than 0.5 inch long and threadlike, whorled	Leaves up to 2 inches long and threadlike, whorled	Leaves up to 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, whorled
Emerged Leaves	No emergent leaves	No emergent leaves	Emergent leaves 0.5 to 0.75 inch long and 0.05 inch wide, whorled
Stems	Hollow, reddish brown to whitish pink, branched, can grow up to 6 feet long	Hollow, peach or pinkish, sparsely branched, can grow  up to 20 feet long	Thick, reddish, round, can grow up to 15 feet long
Flowers	Small, red, nearly round, whorled, stems up to 4 inches above surface	Small, tinted red or pink, whorled, stems up to 4 inches above surface	Tiny, brownish red, 4 petals, jagged edges, whorled, grow at base of leaves

 

Despite the similarities and differences between coontail and milfoils, they are all treated the same. Dibrox offers great control for any of these plants; it is a liquid mixed with water and sprayed on the surface wherever the plants are growing.

Conclusion

Although coontail and milfoils are often mistaken for one another, they do have some important distinctions that are unique to each. Their leaves and stems have slightly different feels and appearances, which can be the defining factor that sets them apart in the identification process. Both can be controlled with Dibrox when treated properly.