Parrot’s Feather
(Myriophyllum aquaticum)

Parrot’s Feather is a distinctive perennial aquatic plant with a feather like structure, native to south and central America.  The plant was first brought to the UK in the 1870s as an aquatic plant to aerate garden ponds. After being discarded, it found its’ way into the wild; it was first recorded in the UK associated with a pond at Lingfield in Surrey in 1960.

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Parrot’s Feather will grow in any still water habitat, including ponds, lakes, canals and reservoirs, though it is occasionally found in slowly moving water. The water quality where parrot’s feather is usually recorded tends to be nutrient rich.

Impact:
Parrot’s feather spreads via fragmentation and is capable of forming dense infestations in suitable habitat, occupying the water column in water. The primary impact of the parrot’s feather is shading out other aquatic plants, it can also damage the invertebrate communities associated with these.

Legislation which attempts to control the distribution of parrot’s feather includes Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 (as amended), which makes it illegal to distribute or allow the release of Parrot’s Feather into the wild.