Parrot feather is a perennial plant. Parrot feather gets its name from its feather-like leaves that are arranged around the stem in whorls of four to six. The emergent stems and leaves are the most distinctive trait of parrot feather, as they can grow up to a foot above the water surface and look almost like small fir trees. The woody emergent stems grow over 5 feet long and will extend to the bank and shore.  As the water warms in the spring, parrot feather begins to flourish.  Parrot feather reproduces asexually. New plants grow from fragments of already rooted plants. The plant has whorls of feathery blue-green to waxy gray-green leaves deeply cut into many narrow lobes.
 
Parrot feather is a great addition to aquatic gardens both indoors and outdoors. It thrives in shallow fresh water ecosystems or on muddy ground that is seasonally flooded.