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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.

 

 

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#full sun tolerant#water garden#heat tolerant#annuals#red leaves#piedmont#spores#fern#wetlands#water plant#stream banks#food source wildlife#fast growing#NC native#spreading#deer resistant#ponds#native garden#ditches#mountains#summer interest#aquatic plant#native annual#native water plant#fruits summer#forb#food source herbage#wet soils tolerant#fruits#waterfowl#wetland margins#partial shade tolerant#audubon#coastal plant#partial sun tolerant
 
Fronds (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON)-Early Fall
Fronds (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON)-Early Fall Douglas Goldman, USDA CC BY-NC 4.0
Form (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON)-Early Fall
Form (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON)-Early Fall Douglas Goldman, USDA CC BY-NC 4.0
Form (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON)-Early Fall
Form (Niagara Falls, ON)-Late Summer Douglas Goldman, USDA CC BY-NC 4.0
Azolla caroliniana
Azolla caroliniana sphaerichthys CC BY-NC 2.0
Azolla caroliniana
Azolla caroliniana Groume CC-BY-SA 2.0
Azolla caroliniana
Azolla caroliniana Samantha CC BY 2.0
Azolla caroliniana
Leaf Blade Ingrid Taylar CC BY 2.0
Azolla caroliniana
Leaves David Perez CC BY 3.0
Azolla caroliniana
Flowers David Perez CC BY 3.0
Azolla caroliniana
Form close-up Ingrid Taylar CC BY 2.0
Azolla caroliniana
Leaves close-up Joydeep CC BY-SA 3.0
Azolla caroliniana
Form Siliurp CC BY-SA 4.0
Azolla caroliniana
Form detail Smithsonian Environmental Research Center CC BY 2.0
Form
Form Kurt Stüber CC BY-SA 3.0
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#full sun tolerant#water garden#heat tolerant#annuals#red leaves#piedmont#spores#fern#wetlands#water plant#stream banks#food source wildlife#fast growing#NC native#spreading#deer resistant#ponds#native garden#ditches#mountains#summer interest#aquatic plant#native annual#native water plant#fruits summer#forb#food source herbage#wet soils tolerant#fruits#waterfowl#wetland margins#partial shade tolerant#audubon#coastal plant#partial sun tolerant
  • 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
    Fern
    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