Water Chestnut

Scientific name: Trapa natans L.

Common names: Water chestnut, water nut, water caltrop

Native To: Eurasia

Date of U.S. Introduction: Late 1800s

Images: Invasive.org and Google

Videos: Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy - The European Water Chestnut (or click Play button below)

Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association Education - Wanted: Water Chestnut (or click Play button below)

Means of Introduction: Ornamental

Impact: Crowds out native species

Current U.S. Distribution:

• PLANTS Database map (see complete PLANTS Profile for county distribution and native status)
• Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System

U.S. States and U.S. National Parks Where Reported Invasive: Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States map

Management Plans: Aquatic Species / Water Chestnut

Selected Internet Resources:

• Federal Government
• State Government
• University/Academic
• International
• Organizations

Trapa natans
Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Taxonomy

Water Chestnut - Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas (2002)
DOI. National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Distribution; Introduction History; Impacts; Controls

Trapa natans L. (Water Chestnut) - Aquatic Plant Information System (APIS)
DOD. USACE. Engineer Research and Development Center. Environmental Laboratory.
Identification/Description; Introduction History; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Trapa natans Article Citation Search - AGRICOLA Database
USDA. National Agricultural Library.
Research; Special Note: NAL Catalog Search (resources)

Trapa natans - Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)
USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program.
Taxonomy; Legal Aspects

Water Chestnut - Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States (Aug 2002)
BugwoodWiki.
Published by: USDA. Forest Service. Publication FHTET-2002-04.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Distribution; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Controls

Plant Profile for Trapa natans - PLANTS Database
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
Taxonomy; Illustrations; Distribution; Legal Aspects

Water Chestnut
DOI. FWS. Connecticut River Coordinator's Office.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Habitat; Controls

Trapa natans - National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System, Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database
Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion

Aquatic Invasive Species: Water Chestnut (May 2005; PDF | 96 KB)
Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Water Chestnut
Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Controls

Water Chestnut: An Exotic Invasive Aquatic Plant (PDF | 1.69 MB)
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Controls

Water Chestnut Discovered in New Hampshire Waters - Environmental Fact Sheet (2007; PDF | 61 KB)
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
Identification/Description; Illustrations; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat

AIS Action Plan: Water Chestnut (Jun 2011; PDF | 130 KB)
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Water Chestnut - Illegal Aquatic Plants in South Carolina
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Aquatic Nuisance Species Program.
Identification/Description; Photographs

Water Chestnut and Water Chestnut Fast Sheet (PDF | 106 KB)
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Environmental Conservation. Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Controls

Water Chestnut
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Habitat; Controls

Trapa natans (Water chestnut, European water chestnut) - Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE)
University of Connecticut. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Water Chestnut - Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Distribution; Controls

Water Chestnut - Maine Invasive Plants Bulletin no. 2535
University of Maine. Cooperative Extension.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution

Water Chestnut - Invasive Species in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Workshop (May 2002)
Maryland Sea Grant.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls; Special Note: References

Trapa natans (European Water Chestnut)
University of Massachusetts - Boston. Biology Department. Conservation New England.
Identification/Description; Introduction History; Distribution; Special Note: Animation of spread of Eupopean Water Chestnut across Massachusetts over time

Water Chestnut - Exotic Aquatics on the Move
National Sea Grant Network and Geographic Education Alliances.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Controls

Water chestnut - Introduced Species Summary Project
(New York) Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Controls

European Water-chestnut (PDF | 271 KB)
University of Pennsylvania. Morris Arboretum.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Introduction History; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Trapa natans - Invasive Species Compendium
Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International (CABI).
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls

Weed Alert: Water caltrop
New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Australia). Agriculture.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Life Cycle; Impacts; Controls; Legal Aspects

Fact Sheet: European Water Chestnut (PDF | 410 KB)
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (Canada).
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribtion

Trapa natans (aquatic plant) - ISSG Global Invasive Species Database
World Conservation Union. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls

Trapa natans
Discover Life.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution

Water Chestnut - Maine's Interactive Field Guide to Aquatic Invaders and Their Native Look Alikes
Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program. Maine Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Introduction History; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution

Water Chestnut - Invader of the Month
Maryland Invasive Species Council.
Photographs; Impacts; Distribution; Controls