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Stinkweed or Muskgrass
Chara species
Stinkweed is of the macrophytic alga Chara spp. This
large plant looking
algal group has many species, several of which are found in our Piedmont
lakes. When crushed in hand, several have a distinctive odor some folks
describe as a garlic smell, thus the common name of "stink weed."
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Photo taken 7-2002 - Lake Norman |
This genus of algae loves shallow warm water with a soft sediment bottom
which is the common habitat in coves. It is considered a "good plant,"
giving protective cover to small fish and their invertebrate food. It is
usually most noticeable from mid-summer until early Fall when it begins
to
die back returning the following season from small reproductive bodies
that
overwinter in the bottom mud.
There is no recommended control in reservoir environments other than
hand
raking. Within a day or two of being removed from the water and
scattered
on the shoreline, the plant will dry in the sun to almost nothing. |
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