Lagarosiphon major; Curly Waterweed

This Curly Waterweed sits in a controlled environment in Parsonage Gardens, Didsbury. I came across in inside the Greenhouse, early April. The waterweed is used to oxygenate water and can be seen to have flowering shoots just above the surface. Despite being considered an ornamental water plant, the weed can quickly become invasive and take over ponds entirely. For this reason they must be maintained and controlled, such as they are in this example in Didsbury which receives weekly maintenance from volunteers.

The weeds can become particularly invasive where there the run off is nutrient rich (usually from agricultural lands).