# Floating Primrose-Willow (*ludwigia peploides*)

The Floating Primrose-Willow is a beautiful plant that floats on water, with bright yellow flowers that bloom in the sun! This plant is great for making ponds look pretty and providing a home for little creatures.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Wetlands, lakes, and ponds
- **Also known as:** Floating Willow, Yellow Water Buttercup

![Floating Primrose-Willow](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Jussie_rampante_Montpon_Chandos_%2817%29.JPG&width=800)

Photo: Père Igor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jussie_rampante_Montpon_Chandos_%2817%29.JPG)

## Appearance

The Floating Primrose-Willow has vibrant yellow, five-petaled flowers that often appear to float directly on the water's surface. Its green, oval-to-lance-shaped leaves are arranged alternately on reddish, often spongy stems that trail extensively, forming dense mats.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Myrtales
- **Family:** Onagraceae
- **Genus:** Ludwigia

## Interesting facts

- It can produce thousands of tiny, sticky seeds, helping it spread far and wide by hitchhiking!
- It can survive and even thrive in water that would be too polluted for many other plants!
- This plant's stems can grow incredibly long, sometimes over 5 meters, to cover vast water surfaces!
- When its mats get very thick, they can even support small animals walking right across them!

## Special abilities

- **Amphibious Growth:** Floating Primrose-Willow can grow both submerged in water and rooted in muddy soil on land, adapting to changing water levels.
- **Oxygen Supplier:** Floating Primrose-Willow has specialized roots that can take in oxygen directly from water or air, helping it thrive in low-oxygen environments.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-30 cm
- **Spread:** 50-500 cm
- **Flower Size:** 2-5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer to early fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** Mallard (*Anas platyrhynchos*) — eats its seeds and foliage
- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits flowers for nectar
- **Shelter:** Mosquitofish (*Gambusia affinis*) — hides in dense mats

## Traits

- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Floating Primrose-Willow?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Floating Primrose-Willow?

10-30 cm

### How wide does Floating Primrose-Willow spread?

50-500 cm

### How big are the flowers on Floating Primrose-Willow?

2-5 cm

### When does Floating Primrose-Willow bloom?

Summer to early fall

### Is Floating Primrose-Willow edible?

No

### Is Floating Primrose-Willow toxic?

None

### What is Floating Primrose-Willow's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Black Hawk State Historic Site](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/black-hawk-state-historic-site) — Illinois, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Floating Primrose-Willow: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/floating-primrose-willow)