Alisma plantago-aquaticaWater Plantain

Alisma plantago-aquatica, the Water Plantain, is a herbaceous marginal aquatic that sends a rosette of ribbed, spear-shaped leaves clear of the water on long stalks, then throws up an airy pyramid of tiny white to blush-pink flowers through summer. It dies back to the rootstock in winter and returns readily in spring.

It is a workhorse of constructed wetlands and naturalistic pond edges, valued as much for nutrient uptake as for the light, see-through quality of its flower head.

Specifications

• Height0.5 to 1 metre in flower
• Width0.4 to 0.6 metres
• Native toTemperate Europe, Asia and North Africa
• FoliageOval to lance-shaped, strongly ribbed bright green leaves on long stalks held above the water; herbaceous, dying back over winter
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilGrows in heavy loam or pond mud, in saturated ground or shallow water to about 0.25 metres deep
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterHigh; grown permanently in saturated soil or standing water
• ClimateThrives in temperate and warm temperate regions; frost hardy and reshoots from the rootstock

Additional Features

• FlowersTall, branching, pyramidal panicles of small white to pale pink flowers through summer
• UsesIdeal for pond and lake margins, constructed wetlands, biofiltration beds and naturalistic water features
• SpacingPlant 0.3 to 0.5 metres apart along a margin
• Low MaintenanceRemove spent flower stems before seed sets to limit self-sowing; divide congested clumps
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble free
• Environmental BenefitsTakes up nutrients from the water column and helps stabilise soft pond margins
• Wildlife AttractionFoliage and stems give cover to aquatic insects and amphibians

Water Plantain is a quiet, functional plant that earns its place at the water's edge through nutrient stripping as much as through its summer flower.