Azolla filiculoides Azolla, Pacific mosquitofern PFAF Plant Database

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Summary

Physical Characteristics

Azolla filiculoides is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7 and is not frost tender. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs).
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It can grow in water.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

Pond;

Edible Uses

None known

References More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

References More on Medicinal Uses

Other Uses

Green manure Soil conditioner

The plant is an exceedingly good source of nitrogen-rich biomass that can be used as a fertilizer or can be added to the compost heap[200, 270]. Dynamic accumulator.

Special Uses

Dynamic accumulator Nitrogen Fixer

References More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Requires a sunny or lightly shaded position in still or slowly flowing water. Plants are not very cold tolerant, surviving overwintering in colder winter areas by means of submerged resting buds[200]. Plants seldom reproduce by spores[200]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with an algae which fixes atmospheric nitrogen[200].

References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Celsius Fahrenheit:

Plant Propagation

Seed -

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Canada (British Columbia), United States (Oregon, Arizona, California (west)), Mexico (Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Baja California (Norte), Colima, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Tabasco, Tlaxcala, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Ciudad de México) SOUTHERN AMERICA: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay PACIFIC: United States (Hawaii)

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it's worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

IUCN Red List

Related Plants

Latin Name	Common Name	Habit	Height	Hardiness	Growth	Soil	Shade	Moisture	Edible	Medicinal	Other
Azolla pinnata	Water Fern, Ferny or Red Azolla	Fern	0.0	11-12	F	LMH	FSN	MWeWa	0	0	4

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

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Expert comment

Author

Lam.

Botanical References

200270

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment


planmetabolome	Sun Oct 7 2007

www.plantmetabolome.com medicinal plant database


Dominic	Fri Jan 16 2009

Azolla is a fern and should have spore-producing organs rather than flowers. .


Factsheet on Azolla	Mar 11 2013 12:00AM

Azolla is an invasive non-native species in Britain, so we should either not use it at all, or use it with extreme caution. See for example link below.
GB non-native species secretariat

Azolla filiculoides - Lam.