Fairy Moss Azolla caroliniana
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- a-ZOL-luh kair-oh-lin-ee-AN-uh
- Description
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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.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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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
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Fern
- Water Plant
- Habit/Form:
- Spreading
- Maintenance:
- High
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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
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Description:
- Spores are available from June to September.
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Flowers:
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are not showy.
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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.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Pond
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Water Garden
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Heat
