It has also been found at Wolfe Island in Lake Ontario, in the Rideau River in Ottawa, and in the St. Lawrence River in Kingston. Where did the water chestnut come from? The plant also has submerged leaves which are deep under the surface of the water. Water chestnuts form dense mats of vegetation that can make boating or swimming impossible. Each plant can have multiple rosettes which create a sheet over the surface of the water. Specimens are needed to confirm sightings, but some jurisdictions prohibit possession and transport of invasive aquatic plants and animals. Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is a rooted submerged aquatic plant that quickly forms dense floating mats and outcompetes native plant communities. Water chestnut (Trapa natans L.) (Fig. baskets of Water Chestnuts in one morning! This map shows all reported water chestnut (aka Trapa natans ) infestations within the Connecticut River Watershed. There are two plants referred to as water chestnut plants: Eleocharis dulcis and Trapa natans. It is wreaking havoc on native plants and animals and interfering with recreation on our rivers. One is commonly thought to be invasive while the other may be grown and eaten in a number of Asian dishes and stir-fries. Last updated Sept. 28, 2005. First introduced to the Lake in the 1940s, water chestnut (Trapa natans L.), is a nonnative plant that forms dense surface mats, crowding out other plant species, disrupting habitat, and severely limiting recreational enjoyment and commercial use of the Lake in some areas.Water chestnut grows each year from distinctive spiny seeds which are the key to controlling the spread of the plant. European water chestnut (or water chestnut) is an invasive aquatic plant that has been introduced to the Ottawa River in eastern Ontario within Voyageur Provincial Park. Native to southern Europe and Asia, the water chestnut is now established in Lake Ontario and parts of the northeastern U.S. Why is it a problem? Water Chestnut Discovered in New Hampshire Waters [exit DNR] Global Invasive Species Database: Trapa natans [exit DNR]. They produce small, white 4-petaled flowers and a woody nut surrounded by sharp barbed spines. European water chestnut (Trapa natans), an invasive aquatic plant inadvertently released into waters of the Northeast that is spreading throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic States, including Pennsylvania, clogging waterways and ponds and altering aquatic habitats.The water chestnut's native range includes Europe, Asia, and Africa. Dense growth of water chestnut may harm native species and ecosystems, and limit boating, fishing, swimming, and other recreational activities. With the help of hundreds of volunteers every year since 2010, we have … Water chestnut is an aquatic, floating plant, which grows in floating mats and has white or light purple flowers. It was introduced to the U.S. in 1874 from a botanical garden. In: Van Driesche, R., et al., 2002, Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States, USDA Forest Service Publication FHTET-2002-04, 413 p. Pest Status of Weed. On Saturday, August 4, 2012, the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyWRA) and Groundwork Somerville made one last summer push in a multi-year effort to eradicate the invasive Water Chestnut from the Mystic River in Massachusetts, and removed a record-breaking 806 20-lb. 1), also known as horned water chestnut or water caltrop, is an aquatic weed of the northeastern United States that can dominate ponds, shallow lakes, and river margins … Invasive Species - (Trapa natans) Watch List - Prohibited in Michigan Water Chestnut has green floating leaves with sharply serrated edges that form a densely crowded rosette. European Water Chestnut is an aquatic, invasive plant species consisting of floating leaves that form a rosette on a water bodies surface. 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