What is water grass

I think children who live in or grow up in rural areas should know what water plants are. As the name suggests, aquatic plants are generally grasses that grow in water. There are many types of aquatic plants, which are generally divided into foreground grasses, background grasses, midground grasses, clumping grasses, crown grasses, pepper grasses, water banyan grasses, moss grasses and so on. Aquatic plants can be seen everywhere in rural ponds, and they usually grow very densely.

We often see various types of aquatic plants, but generally speaking we should not get too close to them, because animals like snakes generally prefer to stay in such an environment. For your own safety, don't get close. Some farmers will cut the grass, dry it in the sun and feed it to the sheep. This is a good choice, but you must pay attention to safety.

Let’s learn about the types and characteristics of aquatic plants.

Vallisneria: commonly known as noodle grass, dragon's beard grass, and pole grass, it is an aquatic herb. It has creeping stems and basal leaves. The leaves are narrow and ribbon-like. The length of the leaves varies with the depth of the water level. The leaves are emerald green and translucent, standing gracefully in the water. It has strong adaptability to water quality, prefers slightly alkaline water, does not like high temperature, is cold-resistant and likes light.

Curly-leafed dragon beard grass: The leaf shape is also like a belt, but it grows upward in a spiral manner, from the base to the top, standing upright in the water in a very neat wave-like shape, which is very unique and beautiful. It requires more light and does not like high temperatures. The suitable temperature is 24℃.

Crown grass: It has thick petioles, long and wide leaves, and a plant height of more than 60 cm. It is a gorgeous large aquatic plant. It is native to Brazil and is similar to the terrestrial Brazilian wood. It is suitable for planting in large aquariums. It is suitable for growing in weakly acidic or neutral water, likes warmth and light, and the water temperature should be above 24℃, 26-28℃ is most suitable.

Crown of Fine Leaves: is a small swamp plant native to Brazil. The lanceolate leaves are 10-15 cm long and 1 cm wide, with almost no petioles, and a total height of about 20 cm. The 2-3 spiral flowers are about 1.5 cm large and have six pistils. The leaves are green and firm, with clear main veins and less obvious veins on both sides. Propagation by bud division will produce daughter plants on the reproductive stems of the mother plant. Likes strong light. 20-25℃ is most suitable.

Argentine crown grass: native to Brazil, Guyana and Argentina. The leaves are oval, 15-25 cm long and 10-15 cm wide. They can produce 4 cm flowers with about 24 stamens and the fruits are 0.3 cm in size. Requires more sunlight. The water temperature should be 22-28℃.

Mini Crown: Native to Brazil. The lanceolate leaves are 5-15 cm long and 0.5-1 cm wide and can adapt to different light conditions. Its small size makes it a water plant that can be placed casually in the aquarium. It is even better as foreground grass. Cannot be planted in coarse sand environment. Iron fertilizer needs to be supplemented at any time. Propagate by stolons. The water temperature should be 22-27℃.

Any of various small aquatic amphibians of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. The lanceolate leaves are 3-5 cm long and 0.5-1 cm wide. The petiole is 2-3 cm long and often red at the base. The flower is 1.5 cm long with 9 pistils and the fruit is 0.13 cm long. The leaf stems in water are short, about 7-12 cm long and 0.5-0.8 cm wide. The lighting condition is 50W/100L water. Iron fertilizer is needed. Propagation by bud division. The water temperature should be 18-28℃.

Wavy Crown : Native to southern Brazil. It grows in waters with slow currents and low water temperatures. The underwater leaves are lanceolate, 25-35 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, with wavy edges, so it is called wave grass. It has oval aerial leaves, 15 cm long and 9 cm wide, and the flowers are about 2 cm. Propagate by using the side shoots growing from the rhizomes. The water temperature should be 22-30℃.

Crown of Flowers: Native to southern North America and West Indies. It is a more common variety. The leaves cannot survive for long. Juvenile leaves are narrow, pointed and have no petiole. The mature leaves are heart-shaped, 20-30 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, and have yellow veins. When the floating plants grow, these underwater leaves disappear. It is not tolerant to large amounts of sunlight, less than 12 hours a day. To maintain the growth of its underwater leaves, its leaves need to be pruned regularly. Propagation by lateral buds. Suitable for weakly acidic water, water temperature of 20-26℃.

Long-leaf crown: native to Central America and southern Brazil. It is a very long large ornamental aquatic plant. The leaves are lanceolate or elliptical, 15-25 cm long, 3-10 cm wide, and pointed at both ends. The flower size is about 1.5 cm and the fruit is 0.2 cm. It requires soft water and coarse sand environment, and needs to be grown in a large, tall aquarium or swamp aquarium. The water temperature should be 22-28℃.

Large-leafed crown: native to Guyana, western Brazil to Argentina. The leaves are arrow-shaped, heart-shaped or oval, 20-30 cm long. The petioles are thorny and the flowers are 3 cm in size. It requires a large aquarium, strong light, fertile foundation stone and slightly acidic water. Propagate by using the buds on the flower stalks. Reproduction is difficult. Suitable for weakly acidic water, water temperature of 20-27℃.

Small sailfish: native to the northern part of South America and the Amazon River basin. It has heart-shaped leaves ranging from dark green to brown, with pointed tips and supported horizontally by petioles. The leaves can be up to 15-20 cm long, 5-10 cm wide, and have 5-7 main veins. Once it adapts to the environment, it can grow very well under bright light conditions. Its flowers can be seen on the water surface. It is propagated by molecular strains just like crown grass. The water temperature should be 22-28℃.

Red Egg: A highly adaptable aquatic plant native to southern Brazil. The height can reach 40-50 cm. The mature leaves are slightly reddish, 30-40 cm long and 4-5 cm wide, with obvious veins and wrinkled edges. The ornamental effect is excellent under strong light, but the supply of fertilizer needs to be increased under strong light. Flowers cannot bloom in water. It can be propagated by using the sub-plants that grow from the petioles or the new shoots that grow from the roots. The water temperature should be 22-28℃.

Elephant Ear: Aquatic plant native to south-central North America and Mexico. It has strong adaptability and is more suitable for single planting in large aquariums. The leaves are blunt-headed and heart-shaped, 20-25 cm long and 10-15 cm wide. There are long-stalked floating leaves growing, but these only need to be cut off to maintain the growth of the leaves in the water. It can bloom white flowers on the water surface and bear fruit after artificial pollination. Reproduction by lateral buds from the stem. The water temperature should be 22-28℃.

Tiger ear: native to North America, also known as water melon seed vegetable. The leaves are oval and 30 mm long. When exposed to strong light, the leaves on the top of the stem change from red to brown. It likes stronger light and lower water temperature. The suitable water temperature for the aquarium is 16-24℃.

Water plantain: also known as water cabbage, the leaves are submerged, basal, light green, thin and transparent. The flowers bloom on the water surface and grow in ponds, small lakes and slow-flowing ditches. It is distributed in East my country, Guangdong and Guangxi.

Now that you know so many types and characteristics of aquatic plants, do you have some impression now? These aquatic plants are generally adaptable, prefer slightly alkaline water, are cold-resistant and light-loving. The general suitable temperature for their growth is around 20 degrees Celsius. Some aquatic plants require a higher temperature to grow, the highest can reach over 28 degrees Celsius. Moreover, aquatic plants are distributed widely.