Floating Fern

Salvinia natans is a beautiful, free-floating aquatic fern that should be regarded as an annual pond plant in the UK. Each plant has three leaves " two floating, and one submersed. The floating leaves are elliptical to ovate with dense stiff hairs on the upper surface, whereas the submerged leaves are finely dissected and serve as nutrient absorbing organs. Under appropriate conditions (full sun, still to slow-moving water), S. natans will multiply very quickly, so frequent harvesting is often necessary to manage the amount of surface cover in order that it doesn"t shade out other plant life. The trailing roots provide an excellent hiding place for tiny fry. Unfortunately, S. natans is not frost hardy and will not survive UK winters outdoors; many aquarists like to bring some of their specimens indoors and keep them in a warm, moderately lit aquarium over the winter (ideally with dropped water level so the leaves are not too near the light source), and placing them back out into the pond once the danger of frosts has passed. Others simply purchase fresh plants at the beginning of each pond season. This low maintenance plant helps to oxygenate and clarify the water in the pond, helping to reduce the production of algae by utilising any excess nutrients in the water. Easily propagated from fragmented shoots.

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