Plant communities of aquatic ecosystems have outsized effects on the system structure and function. In Mississippi, aquatic plant communities are often poorly described, particularly in small lakes. In June 2024, the plant community of Mosquito Run at Matthews Brake National Wildlife Refuge was described in Leflore County, Mississippi, using a littoral zone point survey. Mosquito Run is a cypress-tupelo gum backswamp whose hydrology is dominated by fluvial processes within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. This survey described a species rich aquatic plant community with substantial infestation of invasive species. The dominant submersed macrophyte, however, was Utricularia macrorhiza, a native aquatic plant which was previously presumed absent in Mississippi. This observation acts as the first record of this species in Leflore County, Mississippi and the greater Mississippi Delta. These findings assert the importance of continue floristic surveys, particularly of aquatic ecosystems, in Mississippi and the greater southeastern United States.
