Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) is an aquatic plant that is found in slow moving nutrient filled waters such as ponds, lakes, and shallow streams.  The plant's size although characteristically small, may have branching stems reaching lengths of 16 feet.  Leaves from this plant are both surfaced and submerged; Surface leaves are triangular in shape with long petioles which have an inflated spongy region (air bladder) while the submerged leaves are opposite and contain numerous adventitious roots.  Water chestnuts begin to flower in mid to late July, with their nuts ripening approximately one month later. Flowering and seed production continue into the fall when frost kills the floating rosettes. The mature nuts sink to the bottom when dropped and may be able to produce new plants for up to 12 years. The plant spreads either by the rosettes detaching from their stems and floating to another area, or more often by the nuts being swept by currents or waves to other parts of the lake or river. The plant overwinters entirely by seed. Water chestnut is a nuisance aquatic plant that limits boating and fishing in infested areas. It has the potential to infest wetlands and critical environmental habitats in other areas of the state.