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Know All About Aquatic Plants, Its Types, Common Varieties and Much More

Plants that develop in water are called hydrophytes. Planting aquatic plants enhances the water quality. Types include completely submerged, Floating and Swamp. Common aquatic plants in India include Water Lettuce, Water Hyacinth, Golden Pothos, Water Lilies and Lotus.

Updated on: 11 October, 2020 11:26 AM IST By: Chintu Das

Plants that develop in water are called hydrophytes and sometimes called macrophytes. Just like any other plant that grows in the soil, aquatic plants feed and grows in water. Another major concern regarding aquatic plantation is that they require constant care and nutrition or fertilizers for proper development. 

Aquatic plants not just give beautiful magnificence to what may seem otherwise dismal but also fills in as an important natural oxygenator. Utilization of aquatic plants in eliminating substantial metals from wastewater. Aquatic plants have high metal assimilation capacity and can be utilized at a cheap rate for eliminating metals from wastewater and the environment as a whole. 

Planting aquatic plants enhances the water quality: 

Plants improve the natural quality of the water by organic filtration, eliminate nitrates, and oxygenate the water. Fish living in a very much planted tank tends to thrive well without much care.  

Aquatic plants have clearly adapted well in terms of their structure: profoundly dissected and wax alike leaves, unique fertilization mechanism and changes in growth pattern. 

Types of aquatic plants: 

- Completely submerged type: These types are the true water plants or hydrophytes. 

- Floating type: These types of aquatic plants are rooted in the floating water. 

- Swamp type: These ones are emerging plants with their lower part submerged under the water. 

Common varieties of aquatic plants found in India: 

- Water Lettuce 

Scientifically known as Pistia Stratiotes. Commonly known as Jalpari in India, this plant is green in colour and the leaves has a velvety touch to it. The leaves of this variety grows pretty big without the support of any stem in it. Jalpari thrives well in fresh water which ideally has lot of nutrients in it. Water lettuce is considered as one of the most productive freshwater plants, generally contaminated with sewage and pesticides. 

- Water Hyacinth 

Scientifically known as Eichhornia Crassipes. Commonly called as Jalkumbhi is another aquatic plant that is popular for its potent growth rate. It spreads wide in a brief time frame and consumes all the oxygen from the water. This absence of oxygen in the water becomes the reason for exhausting quantities of fish, which is a staple in Bengal, therefore, it is also known by the name“Terror of Bengal”. 

- Golden Pothos 

Commonly known as Money plant is a simple to develop indoor plant. Scientifically called “Epipremnum Aureum” is very tough natured and tends to grow in any condition without much care. You can grow the plant in a pot from cuttings. Aside from that, this plant is considered to bring in money and good luck. 

- Water Lilies  

This exquisite plant is very strong and simple to develop. Scientifically called Nymphaeaceae is an emerging plant and requires a medium to grow. So first let the plant propagate in soil and afterward move it into the water. You can likewise propagate this plant from leaves. You should simply separate the leaves with developing buds from the parent plant and leave them in water until the flowers and roots develop. 

- Lotus  

Scientifically called Nelumbo Nucifera is the national flower of our country. The plant cherishes daylight but cannot endure cold temperatures. While developing them, plant the seeds in the soil first, and once they begin to grow, place them in 2 inches deep water for better development. 

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