Stratiotes aloides (water soldiers) Plants Exotic
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Common name: water soldiers
Synonyms and Other Names: Water pineapple, saw tooth, water aloe
Taxonomy: available through
www.itis.gov
Identification: General: Stratiotes aloides is a loosely rooted aquatic species with emergent and submerged growth forms (Cook and Urmi-König 1983; Erixon 1979).
Roots: Roots can be up to 180 cm long but are usually less.
Stem: Depressed conical stems with a complex but regular branching system that can resemble the household spider plant (Campbell 2009). Stem length: 10-18mm long (Cook and Urmi-König 1983)
Leaves: Serrated leaf edges distinguish it from similar looking aquatic plants in the Great Lakes (MNRF 2014). Submerged leaves can grow up to 60 cm (or rarely 110 cm long) and up to 1 cm wide with somewhat weak spines. Submerged leaves are thin, brittle and droop at an angle. Emergent leaves are thick, rigid, brittle, and dark green and are usually less than 40 cm long and 1-4 cm wide, with well-developed spines along leaf margins.
Flower/Fruit: Emergent form develops rosettes at the surface of the water (Cook and Urmi-König 1983).
Size: 60-110 cm
Native Range: Stratiotes aloides is native to the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, and Siberia (UK Natural History Museum 2013).
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Hawaii |
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Guam Saipan |
Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) Explained
Interactive maps: Point Distribution Maps
Nonindigenous Occurrences:
Ecology: Stratiotes aloides is found mainly in sheltered bays of larger lakes, backwater ponds, ditches and canals (UK Natural History Museum 2013). S. aloides ranges as far north as Kittila, Finland (Kittila is located at 67°N), where the coldest temperatures in Finland occur. The species is limited to freshwater and can grow in depths of up to 6.5m (Tarkowska-Kukuryk 2006). S. aloides usually inhabits shallow stagnant waters, mainly eutrophic and mesotrophic, with substratum of mud and organic deposits (Strzalek and Koperski 2009). The Lepidopteran larvae species Paraponyx stratiotata and Nymphula nymphaeata feed on fresh S. aloides tissue (Linhart, 1999). Veen et al. (2013) found that a variety of vertebrate aquatic herbivores graze on S. aloides, reducing the biomass by 60%.
This species displays vegetative reproduction. Vegetative propagules are formed as axillary buds. When the bottom leaves of the rosette decay, these buds are released. On average 4.7 (±0.28 SE) buds are formed per mature rosette (n = 83) (Sarneel 2013). Buds have high capacity to disperse over long distances via water (84% of propagules re-sprouted, and 92% were still floating after 187 days) (Sarneel 2013).
Impact of Introduction: Summary of species impacts derived from literature review. Click on an icon to find out more...
Ecological | Economic | Human Health | Other |
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Author:
Davidson, A., K. Alame, M. Gappy, E. Baker, G. Nunez, J. Larson, W. Conard, P. Alsip, and J. Van Zeghbroeck
Revision Date: 8/8/2024
Citation Information:
Davidson, A., K. Alame, M. Gappy, E. Baker, G. Nunez, J. Larson, W. Conard, P. Alsip, and J. Van Zeghbroeck, 2024, Stratiotes aloides L.: U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL, https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=3159, Revision Date: 8/8/2024, Access Date: 12/6/2024
This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.