Myriophyllum aquaticum is a flowering plant, a vascular dicot, commonly called parrot's-feather and parrot feather watermilfoil. Parrot feather gets its name from its feather-like leaves that are arranged around the stem in whorls of four to six.
Parrot's feather is a bright or glaucous green perennial freshwater herb that, extending from the bank or rising up through several meters of water, forms vigorous mats of tangled stems. Parrot feather is now used for indoor and outdoor aquatic use. It is a popular plant in aquatic gardens. It spreads easily and has become an invasive species and a noxious weed in many areas. The plant can be introduced to new areas when sections of its rhizome are dug up and moved. The edible leaves are sometimes gathered from the wild and consumed locally.