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Slender Waternymph

Najas gracillima

Found in ponds, lakes, slow-moving streams. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

13
Modest

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
4–20 inches
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Standing water
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
July to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 14 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Yellow butterwort beside a moss-hung coastal pond
Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal pond margins, Florida and Louisiana to North Carolina; state not identified, a neighboring state.Yellow butterwort beside a moss-hung coastal pond, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Watauga Falls
Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 118 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

0CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
9BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Najas

  • Anas acutaNorthern Pintail
  • Anas platyrhynchosMallard
  • Aythya affinisLesser Scaup
  • Aythya marilaGreater Scaup
  • Cygnus olorMute Swan
  • Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
  • Mareca penelopeEurasian Wigeon
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Spatula clypeataNorthern Shoveler
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Hydrocharitaceae
Flower color
White, green or brown

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Slender Naiad; Slender Water Nymph

Conservation status

Virginia rankS4
Global rankG4G5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Sources