Wetland and Preserve Management

The plants that work best are called “edge” plants, stiff-stemmed species that grow in water and are planted along the shoreline. Planting a healthy littoral shelf will provide the most protection against shoreline erosion. As waves brush up against the stems of the edge plants, the water’s force is weakened, and the soil remains in place.

It’s important to identify which plants are beneficial and native to Florida before planting them in your wetland area. Establishing a beneficial buffer and littoral zone comprised of beneficial vegetation will help reduce erosion damage to wetlands.

Beneficial buffer plant species native to Florida include:

• Pickerelweed
• Duck Potato
• Cardinal Flower
• Swamp Milkweed
• Blueflag Iris

Beneficial plant species for littoral zones native to Florida include:

• Golden canna
• Passion vine
• Penstemon
• Jewelweed
• Wild Columbine

As the name implies, submersed aquatic macrophytes grow mainly under the water’s surface. Some are free-floating, and some are rooted in the sediment. They have a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and they have the potential to grow in most Florida waterbodies. Sunlight, nutrient availability, temperature, water clarity, pH, and sediment stability all affect where these plants grow.

Invasive Florida invasive submersed plants include:

Tape Grass (Vallisneria americana) — typically grows in clear bodies of water and is often home to bass, bream, shad, and other baitfish. 

Sago Pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) — this submerged native grass grows mostly in water less than six feet deep.

Florida Bladderwort (Utricularia floridana) — this large rooted carnivorous plant feasts on nematodes, water fleas, tadpoles, and mosquito larvae. It gets its name from the bladder-like traps that capture its prey.

Coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) — this free-floating submerged plant is commonly found in central Florida waterbodies. It has feather-like leaves that resemble the tail of a raccoon.

Though these plants are commonly found in Florida waterbodies, they are considered invasive species due to their ability to grow quickly and cause issues with recreational activities like boating, swimming, or fishing. If these plants are present in your waterbody, it’s important to monitor their growth and implement control strategies like hydro-raking or highly-targeted aquatic herbicides.

These plants grow in water-saturated or submersed soils near the edge of waterbodies, with the stems and leaves extending above the water. They can grow in damp, exposed sediments in times of low-water conditions.

Invasive Florida emersed plants include:

Cattails (Typha species) — these are easily identifiable by their brown, cylinder-shaped flower that looks like a cat’s tail. They grow along the water’s edge.

Duck Potato (Sagittaria lancifolia) — this plant has swollen underground stems that look like potatoes, hence the name. They have large, lance-shaped leaves and white three-petal flowers that extend high above the stems. They grow in ditches, swamp, streams, and lakes.

Lemon Bacopa (Bacopa caroliniana) — this emersed creeping herb features small blue flowers, a hairy upper stem, and thick succulent leaves. When crushed, the leaves give off a lemon-like scent.

Lake Hygrophila (Hygrophila lacustris) — featuring narrow elliptic leaves and small white flowers, this semi-aquatic plant is found in swamps and wet hammocks.

Bur Marigold (Bidens laevis) — a member of the daisy family, this emersed flowering plant is found in marshes.

These emersed plants can spread aggressively in Florida lakes and ponds. Since they are commonly found along the shoreline where beneficial buffer or littoral plants grow, it’s vital to implement management strategies to eradicate these plant species before they outcompete beneficial shoreline plants.

Free-floating and floating-leaved plants are not anchored to the sediment. Instead, they uptake nutrients directly from the water column.

Invasive Florida free-floating and floating-leaved plants include:

Watermeal (Wolffia columbiana) — the world’s smallest flowering plant, watermeal is a small floating, species that is often mistaken for algae. 

Small Duckweed (Lemna valdiviana) — these tiny floating plants have shoe-shaped leaves with a single root underneath. They float in sluggish or still waters.

Giant Duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) — while not giant by our standards, the giant duckweed consists of 2-3 rounded leaves connected with several roots beneath each leaf.

Water Lily (Nymphaea aquatica) — known for its delicate white or pink flowers, the water lily is commonly found in lakes and streams.

Water Shield (Brasenia schreberi) — found in lakes and slower streams, this free-flowing plant features long leaf stalks that extend downward and root in the mud at the bottom of the waterbody.

American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) — found in muddy and shallow waters, the American lotus can be either emersed for free-floating. Its large yellow flowers make this plant easy to spot.

These invasive floating plants are very prolific invaders as they are able to move rapidly and spread quickly over the surface of lakes and ponds, and even drift or wash into surrounding waterways. It is important to identify and quickly implement control strategies like mechanical harvesting or highly-targeted herbicides via drone applications once spotting these invaders.

As the name implies, these aquatic species look like grass growing in the water. Some are completely submerged, and others are rooted in the sediment with their leaves and stems above the waterline.

Invasive Florida grasses, sedges, and rushes include:

Maidencane (Panicum hemitomon) — found in freshwater and on dry banks, maidencane has long stems measuring up to six feet.

Egyptian Paspalidium (Paspalidium geminatum) — featuring long leaves and thick, tufted stems, this plant blooms year-round in swamps and ponds.

Giant Foxtail (Setaria magna) — another year-round bloomer, giant foxtail favors deep ditches in swamps and wetlands.

Saw-Grass (Cladium jamaicense) — commonly found in fresh and brackish water wetlands. It is a large sedge with stems that can grow 4-10 feet high with sharp leaves and spikelets.

Soft-Stem Bulrush (Scirpus validus) — this sedge can grow up to eight feet high and is topped by a hanging flower cluster. Found in streams, ponds, and marshes.

Soft Rush (Juncus effusus) — soft rush grows in clumps in fresh and saltwater wetlands. Its pale green stems grow 2-5 feet and have no leaves. Clusters of small green-brown flowers seem to grow out of the sides of the stems, and the base is wrapped in reddish, leafy sheaths.

These species of grasses, sedges, and rushes can also become highly invasive in Florida waterbodies. It’s important to properly identify these plant species as they can easily be mistaken for beneficial plants. These invasive plant species can grow in a variety of environments, but when left unmanaged, they can outcompete beneficial plants. Saw-Grass, for example, is not considered one of the most invasive species in Florida and can crowd out mangroves and other native plants.