Accessory Aquatic Plants
How to Plant Oxygenators
>Submerged aquatic plants
Floating Aquatics Plants
Floating Aquatics Plants2
Floating Aquatics Plants3
Bog Plants
Bog Plants2
Bog Plants3
Bog Plants4
Bog Plants5
Bog Plants6
Bog Plants7
A spikelike plant which grows from 6 to 8 inches to 2 to 3 feet, with groups of narrow, pointed leaves arranged around the stem in whorls. It grows wild in pools, ponds, and backwater throughout the northern part of the United States and is easy to find and transplant. It used to be a leading favorite with water gardeners, but has fallen off in popularity in recent years, probably because the plant thrusts itself above the water surface in dense patches if not kept trimmed. It is a fine oxygenator, and a little pruning now and then easily keeps it under control.
Myriophyllum-A1so called Water-Milfoil. A feathery, dark-green plant much like Cabomba in size, manner of propagation, and appearance, but finer, bushier, and more delicate. A good oxygenator, and the fish eat it. The extremely fine, hairlike leaves are excellent to receive the spawn of goldfish. A number of forms grow wild throughout the country.
proserpinacoides-Also listed as Parrots-Feather, and quite aptly. This is a partially submerged form with a profusion of delicate, feathery, blue-green plumes that trail across the surface of the water. It is very pretty around the bases of other plants and is widely used in fountain basins.
verticillatum-Generally considered the best American species, thriving in both deep and shallow ponds of the United States and southern Canada.
Sagittaria-A fine oxygenator and a free, strong grower, used widely in commercial aquariums. The plant is dark green, with long, grasslike leaves. There are a number of species in the United States, several large enough to break the surface of the water. When they do, they produce tiny, cup-shaped white flowers with yellow centers. The plant reproduces principally by runners. It also develops small tubers among its roots, particularly when it is crowded, and these, too, produce new plants.
gigantea- The largest submerged form in popu1ar usage, growing to 10 to 15 inches. Much used in large commercial aquariums, for it will stand up under rough treatment from fish nets.
natans-Sometimes called Ribbon Arrowhead. Perhaps the most important form of the group. Grows to 9 to 10 inches, and all year around, releasing a tremendous amount of oxygen. Has a purifying influence that endears it to aquarium owners. Like a scavenger, it feeds upon whatever waste settles to the bottom, and the soil or sand in which it is planted never turns sour.
subulata-A miniature form, 3 to 7 inches when full grown. A very free grower, spreading by runners. Eventually will cover an entire pond bottom, providing a good spawning ground for adult fish and a safe cover for the young.
Vallisneria spiralis-Also known as Channel-Grass, Eel-Grass, TapeGrass. There isn't a better oxygenator. The long, ribbonlike foliage resembles that of Sagittaria, although of lighter green and semitransparent, also straighter, with less tendency to spread. Sometimes grows to 2 feet, the longer leaves trailing on the water. There are two sexes of the form, and each reproduces in two ways: by runners, producing small plants of its own sex; and by seed, through cross-fertilization. The female plant produces a small, cup-shaped white flower, which floats on the water at the end of a long, spiral stem. The flower of the male plant, which contains a case of pollen, develops on a short stem, only a few inches from the root crown. When the case splits, the pollen rises to the surface, and water action, wind, and insects carry it to the female blossom.