Sweet
Flags are comprised of two distinct species of
acorus, Acorus
calamus and
Acorus gramineus. Sweet Flags
are Northern Hemisphere native plants and grow
under full sun, moist to wet conditions. The strongly
aromatic leaves were, in former times, strewn
on the floor of cottages to serve as an air freshener.
Roots are said to produce an exudate which prevents
mosquito larvae from developing. It may be possible
to control mosquito larvae in small bodies of
water by planting sweet flag around the edges.
We do not have information on the quantity of
plants required to achieve control, although after
a sweet flag plant was placed in a mosquito larvae-infested
tub of water, the larvae disappeared and did not
return. For moist to wet soil or shallow water.
