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Water spangles

Salvinia minima

Also called Water Fern

Water spangles
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0

Water spangles is a small floating aquatic fern that forms dense mats on still water, usually grown in ponds or aquaria rather than as a conventional garden plant. Keep it floating in still, nutrient-rich water in full sun and control its spread, since it is invasive in many regions.

Family
Salviniaceae (Salvini family)
Grows as
Fern, Aquatic
Light
Full sun
Water
Grows floating on still water; no soil watering needed, just keep the water level stable.
Temperature
18–30 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Easy
Native range
Mexico to Trop. America
Climate
wet tropical

About

Salvinia minima is a species of aquatic, floating fern that grows on the surface of still waterways. It is usually referred to as common salvinia or water spangles. Salvinia minima is native to South America, Amazonas, Mesoamerica, and the West Indies and was introduced to the United States in the 1920s–1930s. It is classified as an invasive species internationally and can be detrimental to native ecosystems. This species is similar to but should not be confused with giant salvinia, Salvinia molesta.

Other Salvinia plants

Kariba-weed · Floating watermoss · Watermoss

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Salvinia minima 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.

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