Lake Norman CoveKEEPERS

Stinkweed or Muskgrass

Chara species

Stinkweed is of the macrophytic alga Chara spp. This large plant looking
algal group has many species, several of which are found in our Piedmont
lakes. When crushed in hand, several have a distinctive odor some folks
describe as a garlic smell, thus the common name of "stink weed."

This genus of algae loves shallow warm water with a soft sediment bottom
which is the common habitat in coves. It is considered a "good plant,"
giving protective cover to small fish and their invertebrate food. It is
usually most noticeable from mid-summer until early Fall when it begins to
die back returning the following season from small reproductive bodies that
overwinter in the bottom mud.

There is no recommended control in reservoir environments other than hand
raking. Within a day or two of being removed from the water and scattered
on the shoreline, the plant will dry in the sun to almost nothing.

Back to Aquatic plants