Common Name(s): | Chara, Muskgrass |
Scientific Name: | Chara spp. |
Family: | Characeae |
Description: Often called muskgrass due to its strong odor, chara looks like a vascular plant, but it is simply a multicellular algae. Chara can have six to 16 whorled leaf-like branchlets at the nodes. Chara usually grows along the bottom of impoundments. It is habitat for invertebrates, which are eaten by fish and waterfowl. The plant is an important food
for ducks. |
Chemical Control Options: Copper compounds. Fertilizing a pond to produce a phytoplankton bloom or using an aquatic dye prevents sunlight from reaching the plant and limits growth. |
Mechanical Control Options: Physically removing chara is only temporarily effective due to its ability to come back from remaining fragments in the water. |
Biological Control Options: Grass carp effectively control it. |