Water Fern, Water Spangles Salvinia rotundifolia Enlarged View 30.6KB These floating plants (S. rotundifolia) are annuals, generally a pale green color with slender stems bearing rather broad two ranked leaves and are covered with fine silky hairs which make them soft to touch. Its buoyant, horizontal stems spread out on the surface of the water. Reproduction is sexual and asexual, and the fragmentation of stems prevails in spreading the plant. Salvinia can be a nuisance floating plant, and it grows best in warm, quiet, often nutrient-enriched waters. Salvania rotundifolia is the most convenient and acceptable salvinia species for aquatic gardens, and it has long been used as an ornamental, and as a shade and habitat provider. Salvinia is native to the region from southern Mexico through Central and into South America. In the U.S. it was first collected in Florida, on St. Johns River during 1928.  This plant grows extremely fast and is capable of doubling its size in approximately 3.5 days. This is even faster growth than the closely related S. molesta, which is one of the world's worst weeds. Back to Floating Plants Page