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Azolla
Also called Mosquito fern, Mosquito Ferns, Water Fern, Fairy Moss, Mosquitoferns, Water Ferns
Azolla is a genus of seven small floating aquatic ferns, also called mosquito fern or fairy moss, that cover water surfaces in dense mats. Grow them in still, nutrient-rich water in full sun, and keep them from spreading where they are not native.
Azolla (commonly called mosquito fern, water fern, and fairy moss) is a genus of seven species of aquatic ferns in the family Salviniaceae. They are extremely reduced in form and specialized, having a significantly different appearance to other ferns and more resembling some mosses or even duckweeds. Azolla filiculoides is one of first two fern species for which a reference genome has been published. It is believed that this genus grew so prolifically during the Eocene (and thus absorbed such a large amount of carbon) that it triggered a global cooling event that has lasted to the present.
Azolla may establish as an invasive plant in areas where it is not native. In such a situation, it can alter aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity substantially by exhausting oxygen and covering water surface making underwater plants unable to photosynthesise.
Azolla is a highly productive plant that can double its biomass in 1.9 days, depending on growing conditions. The plant can yield can reach 8–10 tonnes fresh matter per hectare in Asian paddy fields. 37.8 tonnes fresh weight/ha (2.78 t/ha dry weight) has been reported for A. pinnata in India.
Carolina mosquitofern · Pacific mosquitofern · Mexican mosquitofern · Azolla nilotica · Feathered mosquitofern · Azolla primaeva
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Azolla by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
