noun
1The common Eurasian yarrow.
- ‘Then, gardens in England were enriched with many species not previously known, among them plants which soon became very popular, like several campanulas, carnations, and milfoils.’
2
(also water milfoil)A widely distributed aquatic plant with whorls of fine submerged leaves and wind-pollinated flowers.Genus Myriophyllum, family Haloragaceae
‘Lakes and ponds have buttonbush, pickerel weed, bulltongue arrowhead, horned bladderwort, water milfoil, and water-shield growing in the water.’- ‘The common kinds include the large family of pondweeds, coontail, water milfoil, water weeds, and naiads (Najas).’
- ‘In half of the sites studied, algae, mosses and plants such as water milfoil that had previously been absent were becoming abundant.’
- ‘Totally submerged are bladderwort, coontail, and water milfoil.’
- ‘A submerged aquatic weed that invades lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, milfoil often restricts natural water flow, clogs water intakes, and eliminates native species from ecosystems.’
- ‘He rocks the boat under his feet so we bob and toss through the green skim of milfoil.’
- ‘If the vegetation is primarily milfoil, musk grass, pondweed, or naiad, these stocking rates are recommended.’
Origin
Middle English via Old French from Latin millefolium, from mille ‘thousand’ + folium ‘leaf’.
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