European Frog-bit

How to identify it

• Grows in shallow water and can float free or put down roots up to 50 centimetres long
• Has a single white flower up to two centimetres wide with three rounded petals and a yellow centre
• Leaves are 2.5 to five centimetres wide – about the size of a Canadian one-dollar coin – and round to heart-shaped. They form a rosette up to six centimetres wide

Why it's bad

• Thick mats can cause problems with boating, canals and other recreation
• Dense mats can create stagnant water, which breeds mosquitoes
• When they decompose, it reduces oxygen levels and can kill fish
• Shades out other aquatic plants