Vegetation (Floating River Vegetation) - Office of Public Works

3.3 General growth characteristics of floating river vegetation
Described below are some of the general identification characteristics of frequently observed
floating river vegetation during the course of the survey. Milfoil, Myriophyllum spp. and Horned
Pondweed, Zannichellia palustris have not been included as they were only seen at one and two
locations, respectively.
Water Crowfoot, Ranunculus species
•Colonisers of gravel riverbeds with limited quantities of deposited sands.
•River flow for certain species must be fast, others tolerate slow water.
•Flowers are similar in shape to a buttercup but with white petal and yellow middle.
•Ranunculus can possess two types of leaves especially during flowering.
•Flowering period May to June with vegetative roots development along the stem in August.
•Vegetative reproduction takes place in autumn with rising water levels of high flow rate that
mechanically break rooted sections of plant stems.
Water Parsnip, Berula erecta
•Found frequently in maintained drainage ditches.
•Along rivers in areas with silt or mud deposits - in the middle of rivers or at the waters edge.
•Prefers shallow slow flowing or still water.
•Flowers August to September - small white flowers that form a white ball shape.
•Can be easily mistaken for Fool’s Watercress, which is often found in same habitat.
•Smells of carrots when leaves are crushed.
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