Physiology
Close view of mass of soft Aegagropila balls in Loch Bruggan where the water is brackish.
Aegagrophila linnaei is a shade-loving species known to withstand low water temperatures.
- Long-lived perennial
- forms large radial aggregates "lake balls"
- postulated to survive for up to 16 years
- usually soft
- except in marl-rich lakes where hard due to the filaments becoming lime-encrusted.