Salvinia

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Salvinia is one of the rather few ferns that can live in the water. It is noteworthy that today this plant is considered very rare, for this reason, most often salvinia is grown specifically to be placed later in an aquarium. It is worth noting that outwardly, this plant very little resembles those ferns that can be found in the forest.

Under natural conditions, this plant is found in warm water bodies of the Chernozem zone.

Description of the plant

Salvinia is endowed with leaves that are on a horizontal stem of three pieces. Two rounded leaves will float above the very surface of the water, and the third leaf will be underwater, in turn this leaf is, as it were, divided into several very narrow threads. The underwater leaves of salvinia will not be green, they are brownish in color, and are also covered with fine hairs. Outwardly, such leaves are very reminiscent of the roots.

It is noteworthy that no real roots are observed in such a plant. This role is played by underwater leaves, because they absorb all the nutrients from the water. The upper floating leaves are responsible for the photosynthesis process. Such leaves are painted in green tones, in length they fluctuate between five and fifteen centimeters. From above, such leaves are, as it were, dotted with small warts, but from below they are covered with brown hairs. Salvinia is a spore plant, this plant does not develop flowers and does not produce any fruits for this reason.

This type of plant like eared salvinia has more rounded and larger floating leaves. Moreover, the length of such leaves will be about twenty to thirty millimeters. This type of plant is most often grown exclusively in aquariums. This plant is tropical and cannot survive a single winter.

Features of care and cultivation of salvinia

Salvinia prefers those bodies of water in which there is stagnant or slowly flowing water. It is important to remember that such a plant is not able to tolerate water with an alkaline reaction. For this reason, in no case should you fill the bottom of the reservoir with rubble, as well as other limestone stones.

As for the features of the landing, you just need to release salvinia to the surface of the reservoir. In winter, plants are recommended to be kept either in an aquarium or in a winter garden under artificial lighting. Such lighting can be achieved using special phyto lamps or fluorescent lamps. In the event that the plant does not receive insufficient light, the leaves of the plant will become rather faded and small in size. It is not recommended to use incandescent lamps for lighting, because they are not only able to greatly dry out the air, but can simply burn the plant itself. The temperature regime should not be less than twelve degrees, and tropical species may die even when the thermometer drops below eighteen degrees.

With regard to reproduction, it occurs through spores. These spores will reside in special organs that are attached to the bases of the underwater salvinia sheets. The balls, in which there are spores, in the autumn period of time, sink to the very bottom of the reservoir, where they will spend the winter. Already next spring, these spores will give life to new plants. In the summer, the plant will propagate vegetatively. Reproduction occurs from the buds, which are located in the nodes of the stem, from where the lateral branches grow, after they come off, the independent life of a new plant begins.