Salvinia natans

About this plant

Salvinia natans is a temperate annual floating fern native across large parts of Europe and Asia. The true species is different from the tropical Salvinias commonly sold for aquariums under this name. Plants labelled Salvinia natans in shops are often members of the Salvinia auriculata group, Salvinia molesta or another warm-water species, so photographs and provenance are needed before an aquarium specimen can be identified confidently. Genuine S. natans floats at the water surface, has no true roots and reproduces through fragmentation as well as spores. It is better treated as a seasonal pond or specialist cold-water plant than as a standard tropical aquarium floater. For that reason, generic tropical temperature, pH, hardness and fertiliser ranges are intentionally not assigned to this profile. The plant should never be released outdoors, and local protection or invasive-species rules should be checked before it is collected, traded or cultivated.