Azolla

Azolla pinnata

General information: Azolla is a free floating fully aquatic fern that can be any colour from pale lime green to grey green through to reddish purple or brown in full sun. It grows over fertile water bodies very quickly. Some believe it to be an invasive weed mistaking it with foreign imports. It is useful for shading new ponds but is difficult to remove if not wanted.

Cultivation notes : It is more common on more fertile floodplain locations thus responds to fertiliser and water that has an alkalinity and hardness each over 50 ppm.

Distribution : There are two species in Australia but only A.pinnata in the NT. More common in still waters on floodplain billabongs.

Selling details : sold in a 25 gram lot with the excess water removed. 25 grams is the same weight as a large bunch of aquarium plants.

Reference: Cowie, Short & Osterkamp Madsen ( 2000 ) "Floodplain Flora, a flora of the floodplain of the Northern Territory, Australia"