PlantFiles: European Frogbit
Hydrocharis morsus-ranae

This plant is highly invasive and ruins wetland habitats wherever it escapes into the wild. Right now, it is wreaking havoc by forming thick mats in the wetlands of southern Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York, and there is no known way to control it. Frogbit should be neither purchased nor sold anywhere; like the zebra mussel, it is a form of biological pollution.

FYI: This plant is a Class B Noxious Weed in the state of Vermont. Its movement, sale, and/or distrbution is prohibited with fines upto $1000.00 possible

Very prolific grower in our water gardens. Cricket frogs use them as lily pads. Would add a nice bit of green to an otherwise dull pond.
Can be invasive in the right conditions.

A floating aquatic plant from Europe, North Africa and West Asia.

Has rounded, kidney shaped, mid green leaves like a very tiny water lily. Bears cup shaped, white flowers with 3 papery petals, each with a yellow dot at its base.

Flowers June-August

Likes still, shallow water, preferably slightly alkaline in full sun. The pond should have some very shallow parts so the plant can root in some of the soil, they can live as a free floating plant but will be less vigorous.

The whole plant loses its leaves in Autumn and sinks to the bottom of the pond to overwinter so to keep it going each year the pond must be deep enough to not freeze completely. The overwintered buds will rise again in spring.

You can propagate them by separating the stolons or by sowing seed in very shallow water.

We have seen some of the tiny froglets use them as lily pads even though the leaves are less than an inch across.