Water fern. Helecho de agua

Description:

Its floating aquatic plants, of small leaves with short roots. Divided fronds whose color ranges from red to purple in full sun and pale green to bluish-green in shade. It grows very fast, ideal for increasing the surface area. It helps to control the development of algae by limiting the luminosity in the aquatic environment. It's intolerants to salt water.

Habitat:

In an irrigation ditch of the rice fields. Puerto de Catarroja. Valencia.

Notes:

When rice fields are flooded in spring, they can be inoculated with Azolla, which, due to its rapid multiplication, covers the water, suppressing weeds. When Azollas die, they contribute nitrogen that the rice will then take up through the roots, and as the rice fields dry out, all Azollas eventually die, making exceptional green manure. Thus, Azolla can replace agrochemicals.