What Is Eel-grass - (Vallisneria spirals)?
Habitat: Grows on mud or sand in sheltered bays and estuaries
Distribution in Ireland: Coastal Areas
Status: Established
Family name: Hydrocharitaceae
Reproduction: After the female flowers have been pollinated, the pedicel curls up like a tendril, drawing the young fruit closer to the bed of the stream or pond; thus the name "spiralis". Seeds have not been observed germinating in aquaria. Instead, it most often propagates by runners which can lead to dense stands.
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Eel-grass
Eel-grass (with flowers) on mud-flats
The species is an effective invader due to its efficient dispersal, vegetative reproduction, high biomass production, and popularity in the aquarium trade.
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It has narrow, linear leaves that range in colour from a pale-green to reddish up to 1m long and up to 1.5cm broad. V. spiralis is monoecious with male flowers carried on long spiral stalks that break away from the plant and float on the water's surface. In the variety V.s, gigantea the female flowers are on stalks (pedicels) up to 1.85 meters in length.
How To Identify Eel-grass?
Common Name: Tapegrass
Leaves: Dark green flat & thin
Size: Blade width 1.5 cm
Stems: un-branched stems
Flowers: enclosed on separate shoots.
Eel-grass root structure
Eel-grass -Vallisneria spirals ID guide
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Eel-grass is a grass-like aquatic plant native to Northern Africa that forms lush meadows in shallow, sheltered bays and estuaries. These meadows cushion the shoreline from wave energy, delaying the break down of pollutants.
Eel-grass meadows
Why Is Eel-grass A Problem?
The intertidal seagrass Eel-grass (Vallisneria spirals), which is distributed in intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, is exposed to nutrients from over-enriched land-based discharge and storm water runoff before they can be washed out to sea. Once the plants have established eradication is very difficult.
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Eel-grass colonizes open tidal mud flats, prime foraging grounds for birds.
It slows water currents and traps new sediments.
The dense root system binds soil particles, transforming soft mud into a firm bottom layer.
These changes destroy essential habitat for shrimp and other small mud-dwelling and burrowing animals, many of which are staple prey items for shorebirds.
European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 non-native invasive plant species A-Z (Updated 2017)
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There are currently 35 invasive plant species listed in the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations (annex 2, Part 1)...
Click on a species from the following list to find out more regarding non-native species subject to restrictions under Regulations 49 and 50.
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American Skunk-Cabbage - Lysichiton americanus
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Waterweeds - Elodea (all species)