Irish ferns - Water Fern, Azolla filiculoides

Water Fern
Azolla filiculoides
Raithneach uisce
Family: Azollaceae

Spores ripen June-September. Annual. Invasive aquatic introduction.

A tiny floating fern with branched stems 1-5cm long. Leaves in two overlapping rows, greenish but often turning red in summer. Sori are produced in groups of 2-4 on the lower leaf of each branch.

Introduced as an aquatic for aquariums and ponds, now increasingly recorded as a garden escape and becoming more widespread.

Designated as a significant invasive plant in Ireland:
Target 10 - Managing Invasive Alien species

Water Fern, Azolla filiculoides. March 2009

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