Photos and short field notes for common service-relevant plants. This guide is not a definitive identification or blanket permission to remove a plant.
Identification. Small floating fern with paired oval leaves and fine hairs on the upper surface. It can form dense mats in slow-moving water.
Mechanical / handling note. Mechanical harvesting is most effective on early, localized populations. Small floating pieces require careful collection and equipment cleaning.
Photo reference: Web reference
Identification. A perennial shoreline and wetland grass with pale creeping underground stems and sharply pointed rhizome tips.
Mechanical / handling note. Rhizomes can regrow, and soil disturbance can spread the plant. Physical work may require repeated follow-up.
Photo reference: Plantwise Plus
Identification. Submerged stems with small toothed leaves arranged in whorls, often five leaves around the stem. Dense growth may reach the surface.
Mechanical / handling note. Mechanical harvesting may be considered where authorized. Fragments can establish new growth, so containment and handling matter.
Photo reference: UF/IFAS
Identification. Free-floating plant with glossy rounded leaves, inflated leaf stalks, hanging dark roots and sometimes lavender-blue flowers.
Mechanical / handling note. Mechanical harvest can remove floating mats. The method depends on density, access, wildlife and disposal planning.
Photo reference: UF/IFAS
Identification. Floating rosettes of pale green, ribbed, velvety leaves with roots hanging below the plant.
Mechanical / handling note. Mechanical removal may be considered, but small plantlets can spread if they are not contained.
Photo reference: UF/IFAS
Identification. Emergent or floating mats with opposite leaves, hollow stems and small white papery flower heads.
Mechanical / handling note. Stem fragments can root and regrow. Identification, containment and follow-up are critical.
Photo reference: Florida Natural Areas Inventory
Identification. A free-floating fern whose paired leaves develop distinctive folded, egg-beater-like hairs.
Mechanical / handling note. Suspected plants require expert identification and agency coordination. Do not move them without guidance.
Photo reference: UF/IFAS