Rare water plants

Azolla caroliniana

Homeland - North America.

A plant as is common in tropical and subtropical areas. This fern forming a very beautiful, floating in the water green islands. The plant is very tender and requires careful handling. Common in the aquarium is relatively rare. Has a pronounced seasonal growth pattern with a period of dormancy in the winter.

The temperature of the aquarium water can vary quite widely. Plant feels good in lukewarm water at about 20 ° C, and in tropical aquarium at 28 ° C. If the temperature falls to 16 ° C and below, this leads to growth arrest, after a while leaves the plants begin to decay, and it is immersed in water. Preserved in the bottom mud disputes spring give life to new plants.

Water for azolla should be soft, with a neutral or slightly acid reaction. Rigidity is desirable not above 10 °, pH - less than 7.0.

The plant requires a very bright light. Artificial lighting can be used such as fluorescent lamps and incandescent lamps LB. Power fluorescent lamps must be at least 2-2.5 W per 1 dm2 of surface area of water. Daylength should be not less than 12 hours. Under favorable conditions, azolla, fast growing, tightens the entire surface of the aquarium, shading other plants, so it should be an excess of periodically removed from the aquarium.

The withering away of azolla in winter due, as a rule, with a decrease in light, so when very bright light and a sufficiently high temperature to maintain the water plant fails.

Winter azolla retain another way. The plant should be removed from the tank and place in a bowl with a damp moss. You can use an ordinary bog sphagnum moss. Winter temperature should not exceed 12 ° C. At the end of March - April, the plant should be moved to the aquarium.

Utricularia

This is undoubtedly the most interesting plant our waters. In ditches and swamps, in shallow ponds and lakes places pemphigus - one of the most common plants. Its very easy to find and observe during flowering, so high in the air as she raises her notable bright yellow flowers bilabiate. But outside the flowering time it is necessary to search very carefully: it's all in the water.

Those who first met with the plant, there is not a little surprised when wanting to remove the flowering plant from the water, says that he was reaching some sort of a network of thin dark filaments. It seems at first glance that the plant was hooked for a something else, but now it turns out that it is not: a network that is directly connected to the peduncle. This strange network and is actually the plant itself; it - stem and leaves him, ie, whole plant because the roots have bladderworts not.

Pistia

Large velvety blue-green leaves of lettuce water collected in the outlet, stem shortened, and thick roots whitish hue sink to a depth of about 25 to 30 cm. Over time, the roots become blue or black.

Obovate leaves the wide portion 10 to reach 12 cm, and the length of the sheet may be 15 - 25 cm. The upper part of the sheet through the villae short not gray wet. On pale green underside of the leaves are clearly visible protruding veins. The plant is in good conditions grows to 30-40 cm in diameter and 15 cm in height. Begin to bloom specimens from 10 cm in height - a small inflorescence spadix surrounded by a light fluffy blanket and placed on top of the cob small white flowers.

Although in vivo Piste think weed is a plant in the aquarium is decorative.

Salvínia

Occurs in well-warmed waters Black Earth region.

Leaves on a horizontal stem Salvinia located whorls of three. Two rounded leaves of each whorl float on the surface of the water; third, underwater, is cut into several narrow "the threads." Underwater leaves are green and brownish, covered with fine hairs. Outwardly, they look like roots.

Real roots of this fern is not. Underwater leaves "work" for them: suck water from nutrients. The upper, floating leaves carry out photosynthesis. They are green, 5-15 mm long, dotted with small warts on top, bottom - brown hairs. Ferns, including Salvinia - spore plants. They have no flowers, and, consequently, of the fruit.

Trápa nátans

Сurrently known 30 species. Rogulnik - Annual and can not tolerate autumn frosts. It blooms only in the hot summer in northern Europe rarely set fruit. Today, the plant has become extremely rare. It is protected in several reserves and is listed in the Red Book.

Victoria amazonica

The species has very large leaves, up to 3 m in diameter, that float on the water's surface on a submerged stalk, 7–8 m in length. The species was once called Victoria regiaafter Queen Victoria, but the name was superseded. V. amazonica is native to the shallow waters of the Amazon River basin, such as oxbow lakes and bayous. It is depicted in the Guyanese coat of arms. The flowers are white the first night they are open and become pink the second night. They are up to 40 cm in diameter, and are pollinated by beetles.

   

Wolffia

Flowers Wolffia are the smallest in the world and do not exceed the size of a match head. Wolffia grows in Northern and Western Amerike.Rastenie consists of a stalk, like a ball with a diameter of 0.3 to 2 millimeters. Wolffia balls float freely in the water, consuming its dissolved nutrients. Roots and leaves no Wolff. Flowering is very rare.