The biology of Canadian weeds. 103. Vallisneria americana Michx.

American wild celery (Vallisneria americana Michx.) is a native submerged aquatic plant that differs from other ribbon-leaved aquatics in having leaves with a well-defined midvein and paler zones on either side of a central dark band. In southern Ontario and Quebec the dense leaf growth, and in particular the floating plants dislodged from the sediment, impede water traffic and restrict water-based recreation. Mechanical harvesting may be the best method of control in most situations. American wild celery is beneficial as an important food source for waterfowl and other wildlife, as cover and spawning area for fish, and may also be used as fertilizer and to feed livestock. There is also potential for increased use in biomonitoring. Widespread in eastern North America, it reaches its northern limit in southeastern Canada. It is introduced in British Columbia and the northwestern United States, and has also recently been reported from the southwestern United States, Mexico, the Carribean islands, northern C...