Subject: Water Chestnut plant

From: [email-masked] (George Darcy)
Date: 19 Jul 1995 20:54:13 GMT

Can someone tell me about the Water Chestnut plant?
Our local pond is infested with Water Chestnuts.
I live in Waltham, Massachusetts.

I looked in my plant book and couldn't find it listed.
Is it known by some other name? What is the Latin
name for it? And where is it from?

And finally, are there any ways to keep it from
spreading, short of physically pulling it out?

Thanks,
George
 
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From: [email-masked] (TGray)
Date: 21 Jul 1995 13:06:52 -0400

Rosalind Creasy's _The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping_ has a lot of
information about the Water Chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis), but I doubt
that's what you have.  This plant would die in your climate; it's adapted
to USDA Zones 7-10, and you're in Zone 5.  "Water chestnut" is probably a
common name for this plant in your area.  I would suggest taking a sample
to a local nursery or botanical garden and asking them to identify it for
you.

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From: [email-masked] (Fred Ryan)
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 08:29:38 -0800

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]

> name for it? And where is it from?
There are several plants called water chestnut; the edible one is
Eleocharis edulis as noted by T. Gray. The one with the beastly spines on
the fruit is Trapa natans. This has been introduced in a number of places
in eastern North America. One of its synonyms is Jesuit nut, which might
indicate that the French brought it with them from Europe.