Salvinia minima Baker

Water Spangles; Floating Fern; Common Salvinia

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Water Spangles is an introduced perennial herbaceous aquatic in the Floating Fern family (Salviniaceae). It can be found primarily in the southern half of Alabama. Water Spangles occurs in lakes and ponds, in sloughs, in beaver ponds, and in other quiet bodies of water. It is a native of Central and South America that was introduced into the southern United States in the 1920’s or 1930’s. Water Spangles spreads by being transported on nets and boat propellers, and by people dumping it from aquariums and pools. It forms large floating mats in areas of still water. The leaves are of two types—oval ones that float on the water’s surface and dissected ones that hang beneath the plant and look like roots. The upper surface of the floating leaves are covered in hairs that repel water. Four hairs are joined at the tips and resemble a wisk. The leaves are attached to an elongated rhizome. Reproduction occurs mainly from fragmentation. Water Spangles forms large floating mats that make boating difficult and shade or crowd out native plants. You should never dump any aquatic plants into local water bodies, and always clean your fishing gear and boat when moving between locations.--A. Diamond

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Not Native OBL (NWPL)

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