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Ceratophyllum submersum
Also called Spineless Hornwort
Soft hornwort is a free-floating, fully submerged aquatic plant with forked, spineless stems and fine threadlike leaf tips. It is a fast grower best kept in freshwater aquariums or ponds with regular trimming.
Ceratophyllum submersum, commonly known as the soft hornwort or tropical hornwort, is a species of Ceratophyllum. It is a submerged, free-floating aquatic plant. It has been reported from Europe, Central Asia, northern Africa, scattered places in tropical Africa, Turkey, Oman, Florida, and the Dominican Republic. It is similar to the submerged macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum, a congeneric plant that is found in most regions of the world.
C. submersum prefers to colonize eutrophic waters around agricultural systems. C. submersum is a self-regulating rapid grower like Ceratophyllum demersum. It strives in a moderately lit environment. In a strong lighted environment C. submersum attains an auburn color tint. Since this aquatic plant has a fast growth it has to be trimmed often, or at least be provided a larger tank or environment to accommodate it for proper function. It is found submerged in freshwater in tropical regions of the world, with the species being introduced in newer areas around the world, such as Ireland. It has been found in the Rosetta branch of the Nile River of Egypt, where it thrives in either various locations at different times of the year.
Rigid Hornwort · Spineless hornwort · Prickly hornwort · Hornwort
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ceratophyllum submersum 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
