In gardening there are many types of plants, ground, hanging, water, etc. Today we are going to focus on water lettuce.
The scientific name of this plant is Pistia stratiotes and it is commonly known as water lettuce, lettuce, water cabbage or water cabbage. Do you want to know more about this plant?
Water lettuce
Water lettuce belongs to the Araceae family and has its origin in tropical America. It also extends to other regions. Its area of distribution It covers all regions with a tropical or subtropical climate. Basically, they are spread in all the warmest areas of the world. When found in the wild in the wild, it can present a veritable pest that threatens other plants.
They usually live in floating water or muddy terrain. Its leaves are arranged in a rosette and are soft and stormy green. They are so called because they have a certain resemblance to lettuce. These plants remain green as long as there is no frost. Its flowers are white and tiny and are gathered in a spadix in a small spathe located at the end of the scape.
Its flowering takes place in spring and late summer. This plant has numerous varieties among which we find the Pistia stratiotes 'Mini'. It is a variety that is smaller in size than the Pistia stratiotes type species and has somewhat more round leaves.
In general, they are plants with great ornamental value more for the beauty of their leaves than for the tiny flowers. Among its uses we find:
- They serve for ponds as decoration
- To be placed in humid places located in the vicinity of water currents
- It even works for some aquariums
Sometimes, the plant can become overgrown and can affect the amount of light reaching the aquarium, Therefore, it is important to know what type of plants you have in your aquarium and how much light they need.
Because its reproduction is very easy and is carried out by stolons, if its population is not well controlled it can colonize the entire pond. It cannot withstand very strong winds and needs light.