Is your garden missing something, or perhaps your indoor decoration could use different Types of Water Plants? Ever thought of considering a water plant?
These pretty plants offer a different structure than other plants, but many different water plants can enhance your home ambiance. Continue reading and learn more about different types of water plants.
If you are determined to get a new plant, you can’t go wrong with different types of water plants. Whether you’re expanding your collection or simply starting, a water plant is a must. It would look fantastic on your backyard pond, and the best part is that they look just great indoors as well. Furthermore, water plants can improve the quality of the air and are pretty easy to look after.
With numerous types, it can be pretty challenging to identify them. One thing is for sure; you’ll find a style that suits every modern interior and therefore your excellent taste. Discover how types of water plants can enhance your decor, purify the air at home and elevate your plant collection to the next level.
Types of Water Plants
Dwarf Lotus Plants for Aquatic Home Gardens
Lily (scientific name: Nymphaea L.), perennial aquatic herb; rhizome hypertrophy. Petiole cylindrical, slender.
Elliptical leaves are floating on the water surface, entire, leaf base cordate, abaxially dark purple-green leaf surface.
Features:
- 10 Seeds Mixed Colors
Cattail Seeds for Planting
A fun, exotic plant, 1000 seeds, this is the common cattail. This is a Perennial and grows very well around or in ponds.
This grows to about 70″ tall blooms in the summer months. They are a challenge to start from seeds. These take about two years to become larger plants that go to the source.
It works best if seeds are sprinkled out along a shore where you would like them planted.
Features:
- 1000 Seeds Cat Tail Seeds
- Exotic look
Water Spangles (Salvinia Minima)
Special light for aquatic plants is required to grow water spangles indoors; no substrate is necessary. Each order contains 12 plants; each plant includes 4-6 leaves.
Strong current or water movement in aquariums is not beneficial for the health of this plant.
Features:
- Aquatic
- Freshwater Plant
Giant Duckweed, Spirodela polyrhiza
This plant is about 5-10 times bigger than the common duckweed. Freshwater, easy to grow and maintain.
Features:
- Freshwater plant
- Full Sun, Partial Sun
Java Fern Bare Root
Java Fern is a beautiful addition to the freshwater, planted aquarium. You get one young Java Fern bare root of approximately 6-8″ in height.
This Java Fern s a great and easy way to attach Java fern to driftwood, rocks, etc. If you are placing them in gravel or substrate, make sure the rhizome is not buried so the plant can grow at its best. This is a slow grower but very long-lasting and resilient.
Provide natural resting and hiding places for your smaller fish and invertebrates. Make your fish tank look natural and beautiful. Perfect for aquariums of any size.
Features:
- Protects fish
- Can grow 10 inches tall
What are some of the best water plants to grow at home?
Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica and hybrids)
Despite their name, calla lilies are not lilies. These plants are famous among gardeners for their beautiful foliage and sensual flowers, and they are also relatively easy to take care of. White Callas are the ones known to be semi-aquatic, while the hybrid colored ones need drainage.
Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laeviatum)
The Amazon frogbit is a popular floating water plant for ponds and especially aquariums. Young ones have their leaves flat, while mature ones have emergent leaves above the water. Keep the top of the plant dry, or else it will rot.
Parrot’s Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)
The parrot’s feather plant grows underwater and can reach up to a foot above the water. Their feathery foliage is beautiful, making them a great addition to your water feature.
Mosquito Fern (Azolla)
Looking like duckweed, the Azolla is a highly productive plant and can cover entire bodies of water with its tiny and water-repellent leaves in a matter of days. Its common name, Mosquito fern, comes from the fact that it can repel mosquitoes from laying eggs.
Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)
Hornworts are excellent oxygenating water plants, and several fishes benefit from having these plants in their ponds and aquariums.
Duckweed (Lemnoideae)
One of the most miniature aquatic plants globally, duckweed is a tiny floating water plant harvested as animal food. Cattle, swine, chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, and fish like to eat these little water plants.
Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
Water hyacinths are beautiful water plants that grow fast once established. This plant has an extensive history of choking out waters in several countries, including the United States, New Zealand, and Europe.
What are some of the best water plants for backyard ponds?
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)
Creeping Jenny plants are famous as ground covers and were used in herbalism for treating wounds in the old times. These water plants are also an invasive species, so you will have to cut them down when they start spreading outside their area.
Rough Horsetail (Equisetum Hyemale)
These water plants can grow up to three feet high, while dwarf varieties can grow eight inches.
Since they grow aggressively in water, you can plant them in a container before submerging them in your pond to help control their growth.
Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera)
The water lotus is an exotic and eye-catching plant that will undoubtedly become the centerpiece of your ponds. Its flowers can spread a foot wide and come in a variety of colors. Water lotuses thrive in bright light and can quickly take over a pond if not contained.
Umbrella Palm (Cyperus alternifolius)
The umbrella palm is famous for its impressive height: it can grow to six feet. It creates a soft backdrop for shorter aquatic plants. It can grow and spread notoriously fast, so it’s often best to keep it in a container.
Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpioides)
The water forget-me-not blooms beautiful blue or pink flowers in dense mats of foliage.
These plants are best planted in moving water, like in waterfalls, where you can easily stick the stem cuttings between rocks.
Cattail (Typha)
This water plant is excellent for adding an architectural presence to your outdoor ponds, with their majestic height sprouting in the sides.
Mosaic Flower (Ludwigia Sedoides)
The mosaic flower is a floating plant named after its diamond-shaped leaves that form a mosaic. It grows reddish-green leaves in 3-6″ rosettes, which can be an attractive texture on the surface of your pond.
What are some of the benefits of water plants?
- One of the most apparent benefits of having water plants inside your home is their beauty. The sight of greens is more than a welcome one, but adding water into the view makes the whole scene even more beautiful.
- Aside from adding beauty, water plants are also great if you have an aquarium filled with fish and other underwater aquarium greens. These plants can filter out waste from fishes, replicate natural habitats, and help aerate the aquarium.
- Water plants also give these fishes a sanctuary where they live and lay eggs. They protect the fish so they can hide in the roots and features of these plants.
Common Questions About Types of Water Plants
What are water plants?
Water plants, also known as aquatic plants or hydrophytes, have adapted to grow in marine environments.
Bodies of water and wetlands support these plants, which have specialized parts that enable them to thrive at the water’s surface or submerged underwater.
What are three types of water plants?
- Submerged Aquatic Weeds: Submerged plants are rooted in the bottom pond and grow through the water column.
- Emergent Aquatic Weeds: Like submerged plants, emergents are rooted in the pond bottom. However, these species extend above the surface of the water.
- Free Floating Aquatic Weeds: Free-floating plants live on the water’s surface, are not rooted in the soil, and are usually found in areas with little to no water movement.
Is it hard to care for a water plant?
Water plants require a bit more work than your average soil plant, but that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to deal with. As long as you are paying attention to your water quality, you should have no trouble at all keeping these plants alive and thriving.
What should you consider before picking a water plant to grow at home?
In picking up water plants for your ponds, you will have to consider the size of the plants and the amount of light they require. This is especially true for indoor water gardens.
What is the difference between water lily and water lotus?
The water lily has striking similarities with the water lotus. Its most distinct difference is the leaves; the water lily’s leaves stay floating like lily pads, while the lotus leaves are well above and not touching the surface.
Read: Types of Rubber Plants
