water celery
Vallisneria americana
USDA zones4 to 10
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles moist to wet soil
Sizeup to 6 feet tall
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Green
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Water celery (Vallisneria americana) is a perennial for low maintenance water gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and moist to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Its long, strap-like leaves grow in clumps, and after the flowers are fertilized, the stalks curl into spirals and pull them under the surface. Turtles and other aquatic wildlife feed on it. Deer tend to browse other plants first.
Pairs well with Blue flag, American yellowwood, and Autumn Brilliance juneberry.
Native range
AL, AZ, CT, DC, and 41 more places. See all 45
AL, AZ, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV; NB, NS, ON, PE, and QC.