Azolla caroliniana
Carolina Mosquitofern
NATIVE
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Reddish, overlapping, scale-like leaves
Credit: Kristie Gianopulos. Used with permission.
FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Unlike Lemna spp. (duckweed), this tiny, floating, aquatic plant has a reddish hue and scaled appearance.
Synonym(s): Azolla cristata
Description: Small, free-floating, red-tinged, aquatic plant, with a similar habit to duckweed (Lemna spp.).
Leaves: Green to red, resembling branching, overlapping scales.
Flowers/Fruit: Inconspicuous.
Habit and Range: Beaver ponds, floodplain backwaters, stagnant waters of old millponds; chiefly in the Coastal Plain.
Typical Max Plant Height (m):
0.05
Leaf Arrangement:
Leaf Division:
Simple
Leaf Margin:
Entire
Leaf Shape:
Scale
Inflorescence Color:
Fruit Color:
Lifespan:
Annual
Group:
Fern
Family:
Azollaceae / Mosquitofern
Ecoregions Found In:
Piedmont,
Coastal Plain
