What is parrot’s feather?

Parrot’s feather is an aquatic non-native invasive plant that originates from Central and South America. Having been cultivated in the UK since 1878 to grow in water gardens, it was first recorded in a pond in Surrey in 1960. Parrot’s feather has since spread into the wider landscape because of improper disposal from gardens and aquariums.

How do you identify parrot’s feather?

An aquatic perennial, parrot’s feather grows in both emergent and submerged form – both forms are similar in appearance; emergent leaves are stiff and the most distinctive form, whilst submerged leaves are more fragile and, after death, decompose quickly.

Parrot’s feather can grow up to 30cm above the water surface and can be identified by its bright green leaves that grow in feather-like whorls, that almost look like little green fir trees.

The plant does not produce seed in the UK, as only female plants have established here. Instead, it spreads very effectively through small fragments of rhizomes breaking off due to brittleness. These rhizomes appear in the spring, when water temperatures start to increase. 

The plant disperses when plant fragments are transported on water currents, the feet of wildfowl, grazing animals and humans. Before restrictions were imposed, it used to be sold as an aerating garden pond plant. People commonly discarded it from their ponds into waterways, or it would escape on flood waters.

What’s the issue with parrot’s feather?

Parrot’s feather prefers warm, shallow eutrophic (nutrient rich) conditions in small ponds, canals, ditches, lakes and reservoirs, but it will also tolerate coastal or brackish waters.

Parrot’s feather is a major threat to our native plants, fish and aquatic invertebrates because it shades everything out and monopolises resources. When left unmanaged, it can form very dense rafts which makes removal very difficult. These dense rafts can also interfere with the flow of water and block waterways. The plant can also seriously change the physical and chemical characteristics of water bodies by depleting the oxygen levels.

How do we manage parrot’s feather on our reserves?

Worryingly, parrot’s feather has spread across parts of the Somerset Levels – we even have a large patch on one of our lakes at Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve. Over the years removal has been attempted by trying to drag it out using chromes and pulling by hand where it appears on the banks of the lake.

It’s a never-ending battle to eradicate parrot’s feather. During removal, a tiny fragment can break off or a piece can get left behind, which can then spread again. All we have been able to do is to contain it and prevent its spread.

If you see this plant growing in the wild, you can report it to the Environment Agency. Most importantly, please do not dispose of garden waste into the wider environment. Some plants can take hold and dominate, which threatens our valuable native species and causes ecological imbalances.