Azolla filiculoides
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| Azolla filiculoides Lam. |
Azolla filiculoides is a species of Azolla, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Americas.
It is a floating aquatic fern, with very fast growth, capable of spreading over lake surfaces to give complete coverage of the water in only a few months. Each individual plant is 1-2 cm across, green tinged pink, orange or red at the edges, branching freely, and breaking into smaller sections as it grows. It is not tolerant of cold temperatures, and in temperate regions it largely dies back in winter, surviving by means of submerged buds. Like other species of Azolla, it can fix nitrogen from the air.
Fossil records from as recent as the last interglacials are known from several locations in Europe (Hyde et al. 1978).
[edit] Cultivation
The species has been introduced to many regions of the Old World, grown for its nitrogen-fixing ability which can be utilized to enhance the growth rate of crops grown in water like rice, or by removal from lakes for use as green manure. It has become naturalized, sometimes also an invasive species, in several regions, including western Europe, southern Africa, tropical Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
[edit] References
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Azolla filiculoides
- Flora of North America: Azolla filiculoides
- USDA Plants Profile: Azolla filiculoides
- Plants for a Future: Azolla filiculoides
- Hyde, H. A., Wade, A. E., & Harrison, S. G. (1978). Welsh Ferns. National Museum of Wales. ISBN 0-7200-0210-9.
 Azolla filiculoides (pink-tinged) growing together with Lemna minor duckweed (green) |
 Single Azolla filiculoides plant showing the roots |
