Ammania Senegalese

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

Ammania senegalese (Latin Ammannia senegalensis) Is an incredibly beautiful aquatic plant from the Derbennikovye family.

Description

Ammania Senegalese is an aquatic plant, the height of the above-water stems which can reach forty centimeters. Its bare stems are extremely fleshy, and the root system is not very well developed. The length of the leaf blades often reaches six centimeters, and the width is up to one and a half. And since the planes of the leaves are rather convex, their edges are slightly curled downward. As for their shape, it can be either lanceolate or elliptical.

Not too dense inflorescences of Ammania Senegalese are formed by either one or several flowers, however, more than five flowers in one inflorescence usually do not occur. All flowers are formed in nodules of above-water shoots, are distinguished by a pleasant purple color and are endowed with funny sessile stigmas. As for the petals and stamens, they have four of them.

An important distinctive feature of this aquatic beauty is that it can be characterized not only by vertical but also horizontal growth. Thus, it will not be difficult to pick it up under the water level in the aquarium. However, as the water level rises, Senegalese Ammania will slowly begin to grow in length.

Where grows

In nature, Senegalese Ammania can most often be found in the vastness of the colorful African continent: in Abyssinia or Lower Egypt, as well as in a number of territories in East Africa and in the territory from Senegal to South Africa. This aquatic beauty grows equally well both in a humid or aquatic environment, and in flooded areas, in rice fields and even on salty soils.

Usage

Ammania Senegalese is widely used for placement in aquariums - it looks especially good in the middle ground.

Growing and caring

This aquatic plant is very whimsical to its habitat - Senegalese Ammania is extremely capricious and very photophilous. Shady places are categorically not suitable for its full development. But in small aquariums, Senegalese Ammania is quite acceptable to grow. Moreover, it will grow equally well both in open vessels and in a completely submerged state. Under favorable conditions, Senegalese Ammania generally develops at a truly incredible speed.

It is recommended to grow this water beauty in a soil enriched with all sorts of nutrient compounds (both sand and gravel will be equally suitable), in fairly soft water and under fairly intense lighting, depending on which the color of the leaves of a beautiful plant will change. In one light, they will be light yellow with a delicate and light pinkish tint, and in another light, they will be deep pink. In some cases, the leaves can be painted in pale red or pale green tones. As for the duration of daylight hours for Ammania Senegalese, it should be between eight and ten hours. And the most optimal temperature regime for its proper development is the range from twenty-two to twenty-eight degrees.

In order for this aquatic inhabitant to acquire a decorative appearance, it will be necessary to grow a whole group of underwater specimens. True, from time to time the spread of Senegalese Ammania should be limited.

Periodically, it is necessary to add all kinds of nutrients to the soil (in rather small quantities) - Senegalese Ammania receives its main food mainly from the soil. And if suddenly it becomes unimportant to grow, it does not hurt to try to transplant it to another place, having previously introduced a small amount of clay under its roots. However, peat is also suitable instead of clay.

With regard to the reproduction of this plant, the most effective will be reproduction by side shoots. In addition to grafting, Ammania Senegalese can also be propagated by seeds - this method is usually applied to specimens growing on the surface.