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.

Visual example of types of aquatic weeds, including submersed weeds, free floating weeds, emergent weeds, rooted floating weeds, algae, and excess nutrients.

How to Control Emergent Weeds
How to Control Floating Weeds
How to Control Submerged Weeds
How to Control Algae
How to Control Excess Nutrients
Cluster of chara algae.

Chara Algae

Chara appears like a submerged plant, but it is not truly rooted. Chara is branched with whorls of leaf-like structures.
Mosquito fern red and green colors.

Mosquito Fern

Mosquito fern floats on the surface, forming large colonies, and can be green or red to brown.
Close up of Salvinia in hand.

Salvinia

Salvinia is a free floating aquatic fern with two green lobes above the water.
Bladderwort plants in dirty water.

Bladderwort

Bladderwort has yellow flowers and small bladders attached to the leaf like branches, which are alternately arranged.
Water stargrass growing out of mud with three flowers.

Water Stargrass

Water stargrass has thin green leaves and small, yellow, star shaped flowers.
American bur reed with some flowers spent.

Bur Reed

Bur reed is a tall grass like plant with distinctive prickly looking flowers.
Two frog bit flowers emerged with four leaves and duckweed floating.

Frog Bit

Frog bit is an emergent aquatic plant with round to heart shaped leaves and white flowers.
Spatterdock in pond with budding flower.

Spatterdock

Spatterdock has large heart shaped leaves that float on the water or stand up some and yellow flowers.
Arrowhead leaf, flowers, and buds close up with more leaves in the background.

Arrowhead

Arrowhead has large arrow like leaves and white flowers.
Pickerelweed group.

Pickerelweed

Pickerelweed has elongated heart shaped leaves with violet blue flowers.
Two parrot feather plants emerging with other plants submerged.

Parrot Feather

Parrot feather has feathered leaves that come above the water’s surface and can look like they are made of plastic.
Floating primrose with flower.

Water Primrose

Primrose stems are often red. Bright yellow flowers bloom in summer with five petals.
Bulrush seeds heads close up.

Bulrush

Bulrushes are long grass like plants with brown spiky flowers that bloom in spring.
Cluster of purple loosestrife growing in rock garden.

Purple Loosestrife

Purple loosestrife has woody, square stems with purple flowers at the ends.
Group of phragmites in a field.

Phragmites

Phragmites have round, hollow stems with a seed head at the end of the stem.
Watershield group tangled.

Watershield

Watershield’s floating leaves are smaller than lilies, green on the top and brown and slimy on the bottom; flowers are typically brownish.
Water lily pads with flower.

Water Lily

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Cattails with bright green leaves at water's edge.

Cattails

Cattails are most easily identified by their brown, cylindrical flowers.
Isolated close up of sago pondweed.

Sago Pondweed

Sago pondweed has many thread like submersed leaves that alternate and grow up to six inches long with a sharp point on the end.
Southern naiad leaves.

Southern Naiad (Bushy Pondweed)

Southern naiad has short leaves that are in groups of two or three on the stem with more dense clusters toward the top.