Freshwater
Floating fern
Salvinia natans
Salviniaceae
Facts
Care
- Growth form
- Floating
- Placement
- Surface
- Light
- Medium
- CO₂
- Not needed
- Growth
- Fast
- Difficulty
- Easy
Range
NativeIntroduced
Lives wild in Afghanistan, Algeria, Baltic States, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, China Southeast, Czechoslovakia, and 31 more countries.
Introduced to Austria, Cuba, Jamaica, Myanmar (Burma), Spain, and United States.
More about the species
Description
Salvinia natans (commonly known as floating fern, floating watermoss, floating moss, or commercially, water butterfly wings) is an annual floating aquatic fern, which can appear superficially similar to moss. It is found throughout the world where there is plentiful standing fresh water, sunlight, and humid air, but is especially common in Africa, Asia and central Europe. In New York State and Massachusetts, it is an introduced species.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Marsilea natans
- Marsilea patens
- Marsilea salvinioides
- Salvinia europaea
- Salvinia sprengelii
- Salvinia verticillata
In other languages
- Simbräken
- Kellussaniainen
- Floating watermoss
Articles
All articles
Easy plants for beginners4 min read
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 an African aquarium5 min read
Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.
How to set up an Asian aquarium5 min read
Two aquariums from Southeast Asia: calm forest streams and peat swamps with soft, brown water, and fast mountain streams with cool, oxygen-rich water.
How to set up a European aquarium5 min read
A coldwater aquarium with European fish and plants, without a heater. The water follows the seasons, and summer heat is the biggest problem.