What are aquatic plants? A detailed introduction to common species

Aquatic plants, as the name suggests, are plants that can grow in water. Below, let us take a look at a detailed introduction to the specific types of aquatic plants.

A detailed introduction to the specific types of aquatic plants

1. Lucky bamboo

An evergreen upright shrub of the genus Dracaena in the family Asparagaceae, very suitable for indoor water cultivation as a flowering plant. Lucky bamboo has emerald green leaves and a straight stem, round like bamboo. The leaves are ovate with pointed tips, and the base of the leaf stalk clasps the stem. It is an extremely shade-tolerant plant and still grows well, upright and sturdy, under weak light conditions. It can be placed indoors for a long time to enjoy its foliage and does not need special care; as long as there is enough water, it will grow vigorously. When growing it in water, cut the stem of the lucky bamboo into small sections of more than 20 cm to serve as cuttings and insert them into water; as long as 1/3 of the cutting can be submerged in water, it can take root and survive.

2. Spider plant

A perennial evergreen herbaceous flowering plant of the family Asparagaceae with clustered, linear leaves and yellow-white longitudinal stripes along the edges or in the middle. In summer and autumn, slender, flexible, drooping stolons emerge from between the leaves, and tender leaves and aerial roots sprout at the tips or nodes, bearing white flowers. Spider plants can be grown indoors in water; they not only purify the air but are also attractive in appearance and easy to manage. Dig out a potted spider plant, remove the soil from the roots, cut off old roots and rotten roots, keep the fibrous roots, place it in a container or bottle, add clean water and flower nutrient solution to the bottle, and let the spider plant roots grow submerged in the water.

3. Golden pothos

A plant of the genus Philodendron in the family Araceae, belonging to the climbing foliage flowering plants. It likes warm, humid environments; the vine can reach several meters in length, with aerial roots at the nodes, and the leaves grow larger and larger. The leaves are alternate and evergreen. The vine stems are slender and soft, and the leaves are delicate and elegant. Water cultivation is very simple: ensure the water is changed once every 2 to 3 days, with a simple nutrient solution added. Golden pothos has high ornamental value; its trailing vines hang down naturally, and it can both purify the air and make full use of space, adding lively lines and bright colors to a dull cabinet surface.

4. Ivy

A plant of the genus Hedera in the family Araliaceae, it is the most ideal variety for indoor and outdoor vertical greening. It is an evergreen vine with slender, soft branches and aerial roots, climbing onto other objects. The leaves are alternate and triangular-ovate, and the demand for potted plants is increasing day by day. It is a typical shade plant; it can grow in environments with full light and grows well under warm, humid climatic conditions, but is not cold-tolerant. Water cultivation is simple and its vitality is strong.

5. Asparagus fern

A perennial evergreen herbaceous flowering plant of the genus Asparagus in the family Asparagaceae. The stems are slender, and the branches are fine and leaf-like, spreading horizontally. The flowers are small and white. The berries are spherical and black. After the fruit ripens, it presents a scene of dots of red amid dense green, elegant and lovely. The plant is highly shade-tolerant; placed at the bedside or on a desk, it is elegant and refined, and it is a very good indoor flowering plant. Asparagus fern is also an ideal material for supporting cut flowers. In recent years, water-cultivated asparagus fern has been successfully developed, and placing it in a room is even more elegant.

6. Hyacinth

Hyacinth, also known as Dutch narcissus, belongs to the genus Hyacinthus in the family Asparagaceae. It is a perennial herb with a spherical or flattened spherical bulb, covered outside with a tunic in colors such as purplish blue or white. The leaves are basal, thick, and strap-shaped lanceolate. The flower stalk emerges from the center of the leaf stem, with a raceme inflorescence; the flowers are delicate and beautiful, colorful and dazzling, with a pleasant fragrance. It likes sunny, cool and humid environments, and is suitable both for potting and water cultivation. When growing it in water, place its bulb in a hydroponic nutrient solution; its appearance is clean and its ornamental value is high!

The survival characteristics of aquatic plants

The aquatic environment is completely different from the terrestrial environment. The aquatic environment has characteristics such as mobility, gentle temperature changes, weak light intensity, and low oxygen content. In the long process of evolution, aquatic plants have developed many morphological structures adapted to the aquatic environment, thus being able to reproduce and occupy a certain position within the entire plant group.

The light intensity in the aquatic environment is weak, so the leaves of aquatic plants are usually relatively thin; some leaves are finely divided like threads or are linear; some are strap-shaped; some leaves are broad and transparent. Chloroplasts are not only distributed in the mesophyll cells but also in the epidermal cells, and the chloroplasts can flow toward the light-facing side along with the movement of the protoplasm, so that the weak light in the water can be effectively used for photosynthesis.

The oxygen content in the aquatic environment is less than 1/20 of that in the air. Adapted to oxygen-deficient environments, aquatic plants all have well-developed aeration systems. The stomata on lotus leaves can absorb oxygen from the air; oxygen enters the leaves, and its oxygen concentration is higher than the oxygen concentration in the various organs of the lotus, so the oxygen diffuses underground through the highly interconnected aeration tissue of the leaf stalk, ensuring the needs of normal respiration and metabolism of the underground organs. This aeration system is of the open type. The aeration system of hornwort, however, is of the closed type; the plant can store the carbon dioxide released by its own respiration for the needs of photosynthesis, and at the same time can store the oxygen released by photosynthesis to meet the needs of respiration.

to meet the needs of respiration.