Yellow Floating Heart (Nymphoides peltata)
Description
Yellow Floating Heart
Robert Korth / UW Extension
Yellow Floating Heart is an herbaceous, perennial, aquatic plant that has long, branching stems up to 0.1 inch thick. It often covers the water surface with long-stalked heart-shaped leaves. Its leaves are typically opposite and unequal, shaped like a rounded heart, and measure 2-6 inches in diameter. It has bright yellow flowers that rise a few inches above the leaves. Its flowers have five petals with fringed edges, and measure 1-1.5 inches in diameter. The seeds of this plant are contained in beaked capsules that measure 0.5-1 inch in length. The seeds themselves are flat and oval in shape and have ciliate margins that measure 0.1 inch in length.
Look-alikes
Yellow Floating Heart is often mistaken for immature Bull-head Pond-Lily. However, the immature Bull-head Pond-Lily does not have flowers. European Frogbit, Small Yellow Pond Lily, Little Floating Heart, Watershield, Spatterdock, and Fragrant Waterlily are also similar species.
Impacts & Habitat
Yellow Floating Heart is native to Eurasia and the Mediterranean Sea region, as well as Japan, China, and India. In the U.S., it has been reported in Washington, California and Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, the lower Mississippi River Valley, the Ohio River Valley, the Mid Atlantic States, New England, and New York. Yellow Floating Heart is often found in water gardens where many of the plants originated. It often roots in the mud and prefers still waters such as lakes and ponds, slow moving rivers, and reservoirs. It grows in dense mats, which can shade out native plant species. Underneath these mats, stagnant areas, with low oxygen levels and harmful to aquatic life, can form. These mats make it difficult to fish, boat, swim, or even paddle a canoe or kayak. In warmer areas, it has formed large stands that can block waterways. Yellow Floating Heart appears to be an aggressive grower and at times "hitchhiker" plants such as hydrilla can also be introduced to a waterbody when nursery or mail order species are planted. Currently, it is commonly sold for water gardens, and can establish if carelessly discarded into a water body. Moreover, it is paramount that this plant not be planted in any lakes or natural water bodies.
Control
There are few examples of controlling Yellow Floating Heart. However it has a similar growth habit to the Fragrant Waterlily and it is expected that methods used to manage waterlilies would also be effective on yellow floating heart.
MECHANICAl: Cutting, harvesting, covering with bottom barrier materials should work
HERBICIDES: Aquatic glyphosate (Rodeo®) may work, however, permits and special licenses are required.
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