What is Eurasian Milfoil?
Eurasian Water-milfoil is commonly called Eurasian Milfoil, and for brevity is frequently referred to as simply milfoil on this website. It’s botanical name is Myriophyllum spicatum. It is a submersed aquatic plant native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. The plant was introduced to the United States around 1940, and has spread throughout much of North America. Generally found in water 3 to 10 feet deep, milfoil reproduces extremely rapidly, and can infest an entire lake within two years of introduction by forming thick underwater beds of tangled stems and a vast canopy mat of vegetation at the water’s surface.
Eurasian Water-milfoil is commonly called Eurasian Milfoil, and for brevity is frequently referred to as simply milfoil on this website. It’s botanical name is Myriophyllum spicatum. It is a submersed aquatic plant native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. The plant was introduced to the United States around 1940, and has spread throughout much of North America. Generally found in water 3 to 10 feet deep, milfoil reproduces extremely rapidly, and can infest an entire lake within two years of introduction by forming thick underwater beds of tangled stems and a vast canopy mat of vegetation at the water’s surface. The plant can take over a lake rapidly due to it’s ability to store more nutrients in it’s roots than native plants. This results in it being able to sprout early in the spring, allowing it to block the sunlight needed by other plants to sprout.
