Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Najas guadalupensis (najas grass or guppy grass) is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names southern waternymph and common water nymph. It is native to the Americas, where it is widespread. It is considered native to Central Canada from Alberta to Quebec, plus most of the contiguous United States, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and South America. It is naturalized in Japan, Israel and Palestine. Najas guadalupensis is an annual, growing submerged in aquatic habitat types such as ponds, ditches, and streams. It produces a slender, branching stem up to 60 to 90 centimeters in maximum length. The thin, somewhat transparent, flexible leaves are up to 3 centimeters long and just 1 or 2 millimeters wide. They are edged with minute, unicellular teeth. Tiny flowers occur in the leaf axils; staminate flowers grow toward the end of the plant and pistillate closer to the base.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

1 ft Tall

Form

Spreading

Growth rate

Moderate

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Color

Green

Flowering season

Summer

Soil description

Adaptable, tolerant of sand, loam and clay.

Plant communities

Wetland-Riparian