Cabbage aquarium plant. Pistia or kale

Pistia

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Representative of the aroid family (Araceae). Scripture is a monotypic genus, established by Linnaeus in 1753. The name of the genus is translated from ancient Greek as "water".

The distribution area of ​​the pistia or Water lettuce is water bodies in the subtropical and tropical regions of Africa.

A plant with very long, bluish-black, branched roots, usually floating on the surface of the water in the coastal zone, and when the water level drops, it takes root in the ground.

Leaves are collected in a rosette, sessile, in most cases erect. The leaf blade is obovate to spatulate, slightly notched at the apex, up to 25 cm long and 12 cm wide, but usually smaller, silky pubescent, light green in color. The underside of the plate has 11 strongly protruding veins. Also known are forms with thickened spongy leaf blades.

The inflorescence is inconspicuous, on a short peduncle. The cover sheet is usually about 10 mm long, tapered, with outside pubescent, cob is shorter than the cover. The flower is bare. There is only 1 female flower, followed by (2) 5-8 ring-shaped male flowers. Each synandrium has 2 accrete stamens. The fruit is a polyspermous berry with a preserved pistil. The seeds are cylindrical.

It is a luxurious floating plant for backyard ponds. But the pistia as a floating plant can also be kept in the aquarium, only it becomes much smaller. It grows best in nitrate water and then can form rosettes up to 80 (!) Cm in diameter. Plants thrive equally well in soft and hard water and get by with low to moderate light. However, warmth and intense light will favor the formation of powerful specimens. Optimum temperature 22-30 ° C. Pistia, due to productive reproduction by offspring, quickly forms a floating carpet, which must be thinned regularly. Inflorescences are formed regularly. Germination of seeds is possible (keep seeds moist). When keeping in a pond, remember that the plant is not frost-resistant. Greenhouse specimens slow down their growth in winter, because they do not have enough light.

Location: solar reservoirs 10-40 cm deep. Pistia is thermophilic and very photophilous. The main requirement for the normal development of plants is bright light, better sunlight, but artificial is also possible. A rather high air humidity is also important for the plant.

Care: hibernates in a light reservoir winter garden or an aquarium at a temperature not lower than 16 ° C. In late August and early September, small rosettes need to be transferred to an indoor aquarium for wintering.

In winter, the pistia should be kept in bright light, and the aquarium should be covered with glass to maintain sufficient air humidity. Optimal time lighting of the gun - 12 hours a day. Often dies from lack of light and food. Suffering from snails. Prefers rather soft water. In the absence of an aquarium, plants in winter period, can be stored in a humid chamber on a cushion of marsh moss at a temperature of 12-14 ° C.

Reproduction: reproduces itself and constantly gives a mustache, at the ends of which new rosettes are formed. Divide the plant in summer.

This plant is commonly called kale. However, taste has nothing to do with it. Ceratopteris cannot be eaten, but it is possible to keep it in an aquarium.

In nature, this marsh plant is found in a large area of ​​the tropical South America(Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil, northern Argentina) and in parts of Central America (for example, Guatemala and Honduras).

Separate small populations are found in the southern states of India, as well as in the countries of the Indochina peninsula (Vietnam, for example).

This fern species prefers to grow in slowly flowing rivers or in the stagnant water of organic-rich swamps.

Taxonomy

According to the scientific classification, ceratopteris (Ceratopteris pteridoides in Latin) belongs to the extensive family of Ceratopteridaceae. In some sources - Ceratopteris cornuta. Botanists have studied the species Ceratopteris pteridoides for a long time and very well.

Appearance and features

Pterygoid fern is a fairly large tropical plant that loves warmth and can exist in turbid, organic-rich water. It is capable of firmly rooting in wet soil, but it can also be on the surface without rooting.

The roots are thin, highly branched, gray... If the vegetation floats freely in the water, more precisely on its surface, then the hanging root is very reminiscent of a tangled beard.

Instances of this type of aquatic flora in natural conditions are quite impressive in size:

• the length of the thick stem is from 23 to 30 cm,
• the length of leaf petioles can reach 18 cm,
• and the thickness is up to 2 mm.

Both the stem and petioles have a spongy structure. The leaf plate itself is also large: up to 18 cm long and 24 cm wide, dissected in shape.

Light green leaves are fleshy, streaked, fragile, in their structure they really resemble cabbage leaves.

The plant has both sterile and fertile (shoot-producing) leaves, and these are found in both soil and floating specimens.

Along the edges of each fertile leaf there are so-called sporangia, which are folded down. These are special buds in the form of small sacs that contain 32 spores. New fern shoots grow from them.

It should be noted that this reproduction mechanism "works" only in natural conditions... There were no cases of natural reproduction of ceratopteris in aquariums.

On the surface of the water, the leaves are folded into a compact "rosette", which resembles in its own way outward appearance a small head of cabbage. Hence the name “ water cabbage».

Features of keeping in aquariums

Aquarium... Since this type of fern has a fairly solid size, an aquarium for its optimal maintenance is also needed not small, with a capacity of 50 liters or more. True, in the case of aquarium maintenance, the growth (and, accordingly, size) of the plant will be limited by the existing artificial reservoir.

Aqua design... with the help of ceratopteris, it wins if it is planted in the ground in the background or at the side walls.

Often kale just floats on the surface of the water, being the main element for shading zones, which are very attractive to some species of ornamental fish.

In the thickets of kale, especially in its "beard", fry are very fond of hiding.

Aqua parameters... The water in the aquarium tank should be inactive, which is achieved by appropriate adjustment of the compressor and filter pump. The soil should be slightly silted, rich in nutrient organics that serve as food for the development of the plant.

A tropical aquarium containing Ceratopteris pteridoides should have the following water parameters:

• acid-base balance 6.5–7.5 units (near neutral mark);
• temperature in the range from +22 to +28 degrees Celsius;
• hardness no more than 15 degrees.

Lighting not too important a maintenance factor, but you should ensure that the daylight hours are at least 6 hours. Experts strongly recommend using in lamps only to avoid burning large leaves fern.

Experts say that when the specified conditions of maintenance are deviated, the plant gradually degrades and dies.

But in this case, there is a danger that the fern leaves will cover the entire water surface of a small domestic reservoir.

• The aquarium where the ceratopteris is located should be covered with a lid.

Of course, the plant will not jump out, like some types of ornamental fish, but this is necessary in order to prevent the formation of condensation on the surface. large leaves... This can damage the plant.

• It doesn't like frequent transplants either.

If you took the fern out of the soil and left it to float on the surface of the aquarium, then it is not at all a fact that when you re-plant the bush in the aquarium soil, it will normally take root.

In general, experts say that the level of content of Ceratopteris pteridoides is a complex plant.

The wing fern is appropriate in a medium-sized aquarium (50-100 liters). Let it float, and the decorative qualities of your home reservoir will only increase from this.

Pterygoid fern or, as it is also called, Ceratopteris (Ceratopteris pteridoides) or Water cabbage – family Horn-like (Ceratopteridaceae).

Growing area

Pterygoid fern grows throughout the South American continent, as well as in Central America. Under natural conditions, it can be found in reservoirs with slowly flowing or stagnant water.

Appearance

Height Pterygoid fern in nature it is about 30 cm, at home it will be limited in size. The broad, light green leaves are finger-shaped. The pterygoid fern received the second name "water cabbage" due to the fact that its leaves form a dense rosette, reminiscent of a head of cabbage. The leaf plate of the fern is quite large, it, like cuttings, is very fragile and brittle. has a fibrous root system- its roots intertwine, forming a thick "beard" in which fry take refuge and spawn.

In an aquarium, this fern can root in the ground, or float freely on the surface of the water. The first option looks spectacularly planted along the back and side walls of the aquarium, and the second - in the form of a beautiful rosette of translucent leaves on the water surface.

Pterygoid fern is a wonderful natural filter, absorbing carbon dioxide and organics and actively releasing oxygen. In addition, when floating on the surface, it perfectly diffuses light, creating a comfortable environment for the inhabitants of the aquarium.

Conditions of detention

Contain Pterygoid fern quite difficult, so few decide to settle it in their underwater garden. The aquarium where this fern grows should not be closed, because the condensation formed on the leaves harms the plant. Also, he should not be disturbed often, so he must be sedentary. Recommended temperature - 22-28 ° С, water - neutral, with hardness up to 15 * and big amount organic matter... This type of fern needs a lot of light, so the aquarium needs to be provided with intense lighting. If you do not withstand the conditions listed above for the plant, it begins to lose color and slowly dies.

Pistia or Water Cabbage - famous aquarium plant of the Aroid family. Pistia is well known to aquarists. It is also called "water rose", "water salad". It is a thermophilic tropical plant native to freshwater bodies in Africa.

Pistia leaves are collected in a rosette, sessile, velvety, light green in color. The delicate rosettes of its leaves floating on the surface of the water are unusually beautiful. Below, under the leaves, there are long branched green or almost black roots up to 25-30 cm long. The whole plant floats on the water surface in the coastal zone, and when the water level drops, it easily takes root in the ground.

Pistia is considered a capricious plant. She can't stand cold water, lives only in a warm reservoir. For the full growth of Water Kale, you need a lot of light, and a sufficient nutrient medium is also required. In favorable conditions, the rosette of leaves can reach a height of 15 cm and a diameter of up to 40 cm.

Flowering is not of interest, even if it produces an inconspicuous inflorescence on a short peduncle. The very rosette of leaves can look like a green rose or a lush bush of lettuce with corrugated leaves, for which the plant is valued.

In aquariums, the pistia does not grow large, its rosettes are more often 5-7 cm. Aquarists know that for successful cultivation kale needs a lot of light in winter, otherwise it dries up and disappears.

Surprisingly, transferred to, the pistia grows well, its rosettes become large, and many children appear. This is just a gorgeous floating backyard plant!

Of course, tropical aquatic cabbage cannot winter in a pond; in winter it must be stored in an aquarium or jar. If the house has an aquarium and small pistia grow in it, then planting material for garden pond will always be in abundance.

Using pistia in garden ponds

The pistia looks best in small ponds where you can get a good look at its exotic beauty. In bowls filled with water, in small bogs, in combination with tall shoots of Cyperus or Zantedesky, kale will look very impressive. In shallow waters, the Pistia can multiply rapidly, forming a floating carpet by the end of summer.

Tips for growing pistia (kale, water lettuce)

Location... As for, for a thermophilic pistia, solar shallow ones are suitable. The water in them should warm up well in the sun. The main requirements for the normal development of kale are warmth and bright light.

Temperature... Pistias are moved to the pond only when the water warms up to a temperature of 10-15 ° C. The air temperature may be slightly lower. If a cold snap is expected, warm water can be added to the pond.

Nutrition... Kale requires good nutrition. It grows best in water, where there is a lot of nitrates. Full development requires the presence of fertile soil at the bottom of the reservoir, and even better if the roots reach the silt at the bottom of the pond.

Wintering... Kale hibernates in an aquarium at temperatures no lower than 16 ° C. At the beginning of September, only small rosettes are taken from the pond, they are thoroughly washed so as not to introduce pests into the aquarium. It is best to place the plants in a separate aquarium. Pistia needs high humidity air, so the aquarium is covered with glass. Good lighting is required, preferably 10-12 hours of daylight per day.

Floating plants not only create attractive design, but also protect the water column from the penetration of numerous bacteria. Plants floating on the surface of the water do not require any special maintenance.

This material will help you choose the right floating plants for the pond, which contains descriptions and photos of some species. All aquatic floating plants are not resistant to low temperatures, and this should be taken into account when growing them.

These are useful and ornamental plants just scatter over the surface of the water. In suitable conditions, they grow strongly, they need to be limited by catching with a net or rake.

Eichornia plant or water hyacinth (E-ichornia crassipes) and its photo

Very attractive floating plant Eichornia - water hyacinth, or the green plague. Our eichornia water hyacinth, of course, will not become a "green plague"; in winter it will inevitably die in open water bodies. Before the first frosts, it is brought into the room and kept in a vessel with water or in an aquarium at a temperature of 15-22 ° C and additional lighting. A well-developed specimen is placed in a ring float so that the roots are submerged in the water, and the leaves do not touch the water and do not rot. At a temperature of 24-26 ° C and normal aquarium lighting, water hyacinth hibernates successfully. You can try another option. winter storage- planting in wet sand.

Transferred in June to the heated water of the reservoir, the plant will begin to multiply and delight with emerald greens and beautiful inflorescences.

Pale lilac flowers similar to orchids appear at the end of summer, they sit on dense peduncles and are extremely decorative; in cool summers, eichornia does not bloom, for flowering it needs a water temperature of at least 22 ° C. The height of the flowers above the water surface is 30 cm, the flowering time is August - September.

Look at the eichornia plant in the photo, which show options for landscaping ponds:

Floating pistia plant (Pistia) in a pond and its photo

Residents middle lane The floating pistia is known as an aquarium plant. The rosettes of its leaves floating on the surface of the water are so delicate and beautiful that they are called “water rose”, “velvet rose”, “water salad” and also “water cabbage”. The Pistia plant floating on the surface of the water does not survive in cool summers and quickly dies during frosts. Full growth requires a lot of warmth and nutrition.

Spongy, thickened, folded leaves of the pistia are collected in a rosette and covered with dense white pubescence, in favorable conditions it reaches a height of 15 cm and a diameter of 25-40 cm.On its underside there are branched roots floating in the water column up to 25-30 cm long, which are an excellent natural filter. Pistia is thermophilic and very photophilous; it prefers to grow in solar reservoirs 10-40 cm deep. Its sockets are placed in an open reservoir when the water warms up to 10-15 ° C. In warm summer, the plant will grow well, and acquire more and more dense and bright pubescence. For the full development of the pistia in the pond, you need to contact the roots with the ground, or at least the presence of fertile soil at the bottom. In late August - early September, young rosettes should be transferred to a well-lit indoor aquarium for wintering at a temperature of at least 16 ° C or stored in a container with damp moss at 5-12 ° C.

Check out some photos of the pistia that show the different stages of plant development: