Fairy Moss Azolla caroliniana
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- a-ZOL-luh kair-oh-lin-ee-AN-uh
- Description
-
Azolla caroliniana is very short, growing less than 1 inch tall and is a water plant. Leaves are normally not eaten by fish. You should overwinter indoors. It is naturalized in shallow ponds, ditches and sluggish streams.
Leaflets house a symbiotic blue-green alga (Anabaena azollae) that fixes nitrogen.
VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Azolla
- Species:
- caroliniana
- Family:
- Salviniaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Americas
- Wildlife Value:
- This plant benefits waterfowl and shorebirds.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
-
-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Water Plant
- Habit/Form:
- Spreading
- Maintenance:
- High
-
-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Drainage:
- Frequent Standing Water
- Occasionally Wet
-
-
Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Description:
- Spores are available from June to September.
-
-
Flowers:
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are not showy.
-
-
Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Fronds
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- This plant has lacy, bright green fronds that turn reddish in full sun and during fall.
-
-
Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
-
-
Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Pond
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Water Garden
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Heat
