Freshwater
Eared watermoss
Salvinia auriculata
Salviniaceae
Facts
Care
- Growth form
- Floating
- Placement
- Surface
- Light
- Medium
- CO₂
- Not needed
- Growth
- Fast
- Difficulty
- Easy
Range
NativeIntroduced
Lives wild in Argentina, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and 18 more countries.
Introduced to Germany, Spain, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
More about the species
Description
Salvinia auriculata is a species of plant in the Salviniaceae known by the common names eared watermoss, African payal (Malayalam: ആഫ്രിക്കൻ പായൽ), and butterfly fern. It is native to the Americas from Mexico south to Argentina and Chile. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant and it has become naturalized in the wild in some places. This species is hard to distinguish from other Salvinia. The plant varies in size depending on how crowded it is among other plants. This plant has long been known as an invasive species. It had infested the Zambezi River by 1949. It is also considered invasive in New Caledonia.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Marsilea auriculata
- Marsilea natans
- Salvinia affinis
- Salvinia hispida
- Salvinia olfersiana
- Salvinia radula
Articles
All articles
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Plants that cope with low light, soft water and a beginner’s mistakes, and how to plant them so they grow.
How to set up a South American aquarium4 min read
Soft, acidic water, subdued light, sand, roots and fallen leaves: how to set up a biotope aquarium from the Amazon and the rivers around it.
How to set up a Central American aquarium5 min read
Hard, alkaline water, sand and rock: an aquarium from the rivers and lakes of Mexico and Central America, with cichlids and livebearers.
How to set up a North American aquarium5 min read
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