[6] The native range of the species lies within North America, but it has been introduced in many parts of the world either intentionally or not.

[10] Young plants initially start with a seedling stem with roots growing in mud at the bottom of the water; further adventitious roots are produced at intervals along the stem, which may hang free in the water or anchor into the bottom.

[11] It lives entirely underwater, the only exception being the small white or pale purple flowers which float at the surface and are attached to the plant by delicate stalks.These stalks, or hypanthia, are the lower part of the petals joined to form a floral tube.

However, according to one article, this ratio can sometimes be as much as one thousand fold, [13] making this species, by a wide margin, "the skinniest of all flowers".

[3][4][5][14] It grows rapidly in favorable conditions and can choke shallow ponds, canals, and the margins of some slow-flowing rivers.

It was introduced into County Down, Ireland in about 1836, and appeared in Great Britain in 1841, spreading through both countries in ponds, ditches and streams, which were often choked with its rank growth.