Graceful Vodokras

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

Ordinary vodokras, or frogs vodokras, is also popularly called frogs. You can meet funny floating leaves and very graceful flowers of water paint in a huge number of reservoirs - in lakes, ponds, grooves, river oxbows and quiet backwaters. It also grows in coastal areas. Moreover, this wonderful unpretentious plant is perfect for artificial reservoirs and aquariums

Getting to know the plant

Vodokras is an aquatic plant that is a representative of the Vodokrasovye family. Europe and Western Siberia is the main area of its distribution. Numerous branching roots of water paint that do not reach the bottom, immersed in water, extract all kinds of nutrients from it. The natural state of this perennial is free swimming on the surface of the water, however, in dry years, when the reservoirs begin to dry out, it can take root.

There are almost no stalks of the water paint, and its bizarre kidney-rounded leaves, at the bases of which there are small notches, form beautiful rosettes. The size of the leaves, somewhat reminiscent of mini-copies of the leaves of egg capsules and water lilies, is only 3 - 6 cm across. Some of these leaves are located under water, although most of them always float on the surface.

Air cavities penetrating its leaves and roots help to keep the water paint afloat. As soon as the cold sets in, the leaves of this plant die off, and reappear only with the arrival of spring.

This lovely plant begins to bloom at the end of June, delighting with its little white flowers until the very end of summer. The incredibly graceful flowers rising above the water surface (usually by 3 - 5 cm) are endowed with an egg-yellow core and three white petals. The flowers can be up to four centimeters in diameter. The life span of each flower is very short, but the fading flowers are quickly replaced by new ones. But these lovely flowers do not tie fruits.

The wintering of water-stains takes place at the bottom of reservoirs in the form of resting buds, which, rising to the surface with the arrival of heat, begin their active development.

Application and properties of vodokras

Vodokras is useful for reservoirs in that it does not allow water to overheat, and also cleans it very well, preventing the excessive formation of algae. In addition, for many small aquatic inhabitants, it is a reliable refuge.

For humans, this plant mainly benefits an aesthetic nature, being a great decoration for artificial reservoirs and aquariums. Moreover, the size of such reservoirs is completely unimportant. Vodokras is perfect even for the smallest ponds, as it grows rather poorly.

How to grow

Although vodokras is pollinated by insects, vegetative remains the main way of its reproduction. It can also spread to other bodies of water with the help of aquatic animals and birds. In humans, vodokras reproduces by dividing shoots in March-April or by buds. The first method is, of course, much more laborious.

Vodokras is very unpretentious, it can grow equally well both in areas with good lighting and in shaded areas. Water will suit him both slowly flowing and standing. The most important thing is that the reservoirs in which these plants grow are enriched with minerals.

This aquatic plant also does not need special care. It is necessary to limit its growth only when such a need arises. It is also not necessary to cover the vodokras for the winter, since it is quite frost-resistant and not very frosty winters can easily be spent in garden ponds. However, just in case, all the same, in the fall, a small amount of water paint buds should be removed from the reservoir, which should be stored in a cool room in a glass jar filled with water with muddy soil on the bottom. In the spring, all the contents of this jar again return to the reservoir, and the buds that have begun to wake up will soon unfold the young leaves.

Under very favorable conditions, vodokras is able, forming very dense thickets, to completely cover the water surface.