Aquatic plants do not have underwater leaves. Plants floating on the surface of the water
Which fully loaded in water . The growth and development of these plants occurs due to nutrients dissolved in water.
They obtain the oxygen necessary for breathing from water, as well as carbon dioxide, necessary for the creation of organic substances.
Oxygen and nutrients enter the plant through the thin walls of their outer cells. Such plants include:
To the most numerous representatives submerged plants include pondweeds. They are capable of diving into water depths of 3 m or more. It is also characteristic of them that the tissues of their stems contain a large amount of air. Using its lifting force, rising to the top, these plants can maintain their vertical position.
As the plants grow, they form fairly extensive underwater meadows. Their dense thickets serve as reliable shelter, highly nutritious food and a spawning site for many, incl. valuable species fish
Rdest perfoliate
Family Rdestovs , distributed in Eastern and Western Siberia, Altai. This is the most common species of this family. Pondweed pierced-leaved – flowering, quite large , with a long stem standing vertically in the water.
The stem is attached to the bottom of the reservoir by a rhizome; leaves are hard, thick, oval-heart-shaped, located alternately on the stem. The leaves do not have petioles, so the leaf blades are directly attached to the stem.
Flowers Rdesta pierced-leaved, inconspicuous, small, yellowish-greenish in color, collected in loose spike-shaped inflorescences. Only for the time of flowering these plants submerged in water They release inflorescences above the surface of the reservoir; after flowering ends, they are again immersed in the water, where the fruits ripen. Pondweed is propagated by seeds and cuttings of rhizomes.
Growing Rdest pierced-leaved in reservoirs with hard water containing large amounts of lime. Therefore, during the life of the plant, lime from the water settles on the outer surface of the leaves in the form of a thin film. Pondweed forms vast underwater meadows with high productivity.
The leaves, stems, seeds, and rhizomes of this plant are highly nutritious food for muskrats, mallards, red-headed ducks, coots, fish, and waterfowl. In crushed form it serves as food for poultry and for the production of fertilizers.
Elodea Canadian
Family Aquaticaceae, native to North America. Elodea Canadian is plant completely submerged in water , much smaller in size than Rdes t pierced-leaved.
It has long, thin stems that spread along the bottom of the reservoir. They lie freely, without taking root. The leaves are elongated, transparent, oblong, have no petioles, located 3-4 on the stem. They form quite numerous whorls. The surface of the leaves is covered with a dirty, thin coating of lime.
Elodea Canadian is a flowering plant, but very small flowers with whitish petals appear extremely rarely, in July-August. Propagated vegetatively by dividing stems. Growing quickly and strongly in natural bodies of water, it forms continuous thickets at the bottom, which is not desirable. Therefore, this plant is called water plague.
Rdest brilliant
Family Pondweed , distributed in the temperate zone of the entire Northern Hemisphere. This is a tall flowering plant, the height of which reaches 1.5 m. It has a highly branched stem, sometimes its leafy shoots completely penetrate rather thick layers of water in reservoirs.
On a branched stem there are large, translucent, shiny bright green leaves, slightly wavy along the edge. The length of the leaves is 8-20 cm, the width is 1-3 cm. The tops of unexpanded leaves, like sharp stakes, rise above the surface of reservoirs.
The flowers are small, collected in an inflorescence in the form of a spike, these are only during flowering plants submerged in water
bloom inflorescences on the water surface of the reservoir. The plant blooms in June-July; after flowering ends, the inflorescences sink under water, where the fruits ripen. The fruits are broadly obovate with a short, thick nose. The fruits ripen in August; multiplies Rdest
brilliant by seeds and vegetatively.
Shiny pondweed, like pierced-leaved pondweed, can grow in hard water containing lime. Therefore, on the outer surface of the leaves of the brilliant pondweed there is a thin film of protruding lime.
The depth at which this plant can grow is 2.5-3 m. It forms dense underwater meadows, which are characterized by high productivity, at a depth of 1.7-2 m. The leaves, stems, and seeds of this plant are valuable food for muskrats, water rats, waterfowl.
Dense thickets Rdesta brilliant are a spawning place for fish, and for their young - feeding pastures. This plant can be used as a good fertilizer.
Rdest comb
The pondweed family, distributed in temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, plant submerged in water. It has a straight, thin, thread-like stem, highly branched at the top, the length of which is 50-100 cm. The leaves are submerged, thin, narrow, dark green or brownish in color, 5-15 cm long, 3-5 mm wide.
The flowers are brownish or greenish in color, have several petals, collected in paniculate inflorescences, which rise above the surface of the reservoir during the flowering period.
Blooms in June-July. After flowering ends, the inflorescences descend into the water column, where the fruits ripen. At the end of August, obovate fruits with a short nose appear.
Comb pondweed reproduces vegetatively and by seeds. These plants submerged in water
They grow and develop well not only in fresh water, but also in slightly brackish water, in which many aquatic plants cannot grow. Very nutritious food for muskrats, waterfowl and fish, carp, are the plant nodules that form on its rhizome in the fall, and seeds.
Dense thickets of Pondweed serve as a grazing area for waterfowl, a refuge for many species of fish and a spawning site.
Rdest curly
The pondweed family, distributed in temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Curly pondweed has a tetrahedral, rather branched stem, the height of which is 30-90 cm. The leaves are submerged, finely serrated, translucent, wavy or curly along the edge.
The inflorescences are short, few-flowered, located on slightly curved peduncles, the length of which is 2-3 cm. The plant blooms in June-August. Fruits with an elongated, curved nose, about one and a half millimeters long, ripen at the end of August.
Reproduces Rdest curly vegetatively and by seeds. Only in the warm period of the year, curly pondweed is a good nutritious food for animals, since it grows in areas of reservoirs up to 0.9 m deep. In winter, it is excluded from their diet, since the thickets are subject to freezing and become an inaccessible delicacy.
Pemphigus ordinary
Family Bubble , distributed throughout Europe. This is a perennial, highly branched, rootless plant. The stems, which reach 1 m in length, are completely submerged in water. On thread-like, repeatedly pinnately dissected leaves up to 5 cm long, there are many pale green vesicles with a diameter of 2-5 mm.
Each vesicle has a mouth opening; along its edges there are long, branched hairs and several stiff bristles. On the outside of the mouth there are many glands that secrete a sticky substance and sugar. This serves as bait for larvae, small crustaceans, daphnia, small worms, ciliates and fish fry. The valve opens even with a light touch, and, having caught the victim, immediately closes.
The inner surface of the vesicle is covered with glandular hairs that secrete enzymes to digest prey. That's why Pemphigus has the rare characteristics of flowering plants being completely submerged in water, like a carnivorous plant.
The flowers of the plant are orange-yellow, two-lipped, collected in a loose, irregularly shaped raceme. During flowering, the plant throws a loose brush onto the water surface.
Reproduces Pemphigus ordinary vegetatively overwintering, spherical buds. It does not form dense thickets, so its feeding value is low. However, it is a favorite delicacy of ducks, in particular the red-headed duck. It is also used as a medicinal plant in medicine.
Hornwort immersed
Family Hornfolia , distributed on all continents except Antarctica. Perennial, very decorative, dark green submerged plant. It can grow at a depth of a reservoir of up to 9 m. It has whitish, branched stems in the upper part, the length of which is 30-100 cm. Despite the fact that the plant is very sensitive to bright sun (that is, it dies in bright sunlight), the tops of its stems directed towards the sun.
On the stem there are finely dissected, that is, divided into numerous, rather narrow lobes, dark green leaves, 4-12 in whorls. The leaves are 1.5-2 cm long, serrated along one edge, and cartilaginous at the apex. In their shape and rigidity, the leaves resemble horns. Roots data plants completely submerged in water
do not have: their role is played by the green parts of the plant - the stem and dissected leaves. The plant absorbs nutrients and oxygen for respiration through the stem and leaves.
Flowers Hornwort submerged small, barely noticeable, without petals, unisexual, located one at a time in the leaf axils. The fruit is a nut, oval in shape, 4-5 mm long, has three spines: the apical one and two at the base of the fruit. Reproduces vegetatively; Before the onset of winter, the growth buds on the stem are covered with closely spaced whorls of leaves.
Hornwort submerged is a good nutritious food for waterfowl and fish.
Seed propagation
The seeds are propagated by pierced pondweed, brilliant pondweed, combed pondweed, and curly pondweed. The fruits of these plants, which are under water, in late August-early September, are collected while in a boat, picking them off with a hook.
The collected fruits are placed on the bottom of the boat, covered with damp moss, protecting them from drying out. The fruits are then placed in baskets or boxes with holes and dipped into water to fully ripen. After 7-12 days, the seeds, completely freed from fruit shells and mucus, are ready for sowing.
For sowing, the seeds are rolled into lumps of clay and lowered into clayey soil containing sand to a depth of 1.5 m. In the spring of next year, extensive underwater thickets of these plants are observed.
Vegetative propagation plants completely submerged in water
Pierced pondweed, Shiny pondweed, Curly pondweed propagated by division of rhizomes. In the spring, the rhizomes of these plants from the bottom of reservoirs are hooked from a boat with a hook and removed to the surface. The rhizomes are cut with a knife into cuttings 20-25 cm long. Each cutting must contain renewal buds (“eyes”). Having tied a load (gravel, crushed stone, pieces of brick) to the cuttings, they are lowered to the bottom of the reservoirs. The optimal time for cutting rhizomes and planting them is spring and summer. The following year, these plants produce extensive, dense underwater thickets.
Rdest comb– in autumn, numerous nodules form on the rhizome of the plant, which overwinter together with it at the bottom of the reservoir. In the spring, having separated the nodules containing renewal buds from the rhizome, they are planted to a depth of 1.5-1.8 m. The next year, in the spring, abundant thickets of this plant with a large number of seeds appear.
Elodea Canadian– this plant reproduces amazingly quickly vegetatively, that is, by dividing the stems. If a section of the stem of these immersed plants is placed in a container of water and placed in a well-lit, warm place, then in a few weeks a long shoot with many leaves will appear.
Pemphigus ordinary– reproduces by overwintering buds. These buds - turions - are formed at the end of summer, separate from the mother's body, go under water, where they overwinter. Germinating in the spring, they give rise to new plants. Hornwort submerged reproduces by segments of stems containing growth buds.
Among the marine species - sea ruffe - scorpionfish, etc. By the way, coral fish, colored to match the bright coral reefs surrounding them, also mimic these “hard” thickets.
Another important point is that aquatic plants are a source of food for many fish. Of course, we must make allowances for our climate, since in winter the amount of vegetation in many reservoirs is sharply reduced and fish must switch to other types of food. Such fish are called facultative phytophages (golden crucian carp, bream, roach, etc.). For them, vegetation is not the main component of the diet, but a tasty and healthy addition to animal organisms.
Even using this nutritional criterion alone, you can create a certain picture of underwater inhabitants. For example, if you find fouling of filamentous algae on coastal stones, then you can count on encountering podust, temple or roach. When you find planktonic algae in large quantities, then look for silver carp, the same roach and other cyprinids (this is a freshwater species) and the Pacific sardine (a marine species).
In some regions, well-developed higher aquatic vegetation makes it possible to locate grass carp and rudd. And some fish are very fond of the so-called plant detritus (bottom plant accumulations) - these are young lampreys, podusts, khramuli, marinkas, osmans, etc. By the way, it is very interesting that among marine fish there are much fewer phytophages than among freshwater ones, although in the sea in large quantities highly nutritious and tasty algae grow, which are often included in artificial feed for breeding fish of many species.
Of course, every medal has a flip side. Sometimes higher and lower aquatic plants cause significant harm to water bodies and fish. First of all, this is the bloom of water. Sometimes reservoirs are overgrown with elodea, reeds, hogweed, lake reeds, cattails, pondweed, and horsetail. These plants simply physically displace fish from reservoirs and disrupt the hydrochemical regime. Recently, they began to fight this phenomenon, like weeds on land plantations, using mechanical and chemical extermination of weeds. Treatment of reservoirs is often carried out with the help of aviation.
In winter in fish middle zone a very tense situation with oxygen and not only because of the low temperature. Starting from mid-December, some of the aquatic plants of our reservoirs (pondweed, egg capsules, elodea, water lilies, etc.) are already dying off, sinking to the bottom in huge quantities and, in the process of rotting, absorbing so much oxygen that there is little left for the fauna (fish and invertebrate animals).
Anglers should pay attention to how the aquatic plant relates to the substrate. The overwhelming majority of representatives of higher aquatic vegetation take root in the ground. These are pondweed, arrowhead, cattail, bramble, reed, horsetail, urut and others. But in reservoirs there are also free-floating ones (on the surface, sometimes in the water column), as well as plants with floating leaves (pistia, fontinalis moss, water kras, marsh flower, water buttercup, aloe vera, duckweed mono- and trilobed, egg capsule, water lily, nut water and others).
For many aquatic plants, their entire life cycle takes place in the water column. Representatives of this group occupy relatively deep places in the coastal zone, going down to the border where a sufficient amount of sunlight necessary for plant nutrition still reaches. Of the representatives of this group in our waters, water mosses, hornwort, haru, and nitella can most often be found.
The next group is plants that mainly live under water, but produce flowers in the air. These are bladderwrack, urut, pondweed, elodea, and buttercup.
The third group is plants that raise their leaves to the surface of the water (water lily, buckwheat, duckweed).
And finally, the fourth group is plants that expose more or less of their green stems and leaves above the surface of the water. This group includes horsetails, cattails, reeds, reeds, etc.
Coastal thickets of aquatic (and semi-aquatic) vegetation surround a wide continuous strip of the shores of lakes, ponds and rivers. Only very open banks on the leeward side of rivers and lakes are devoid of large aquatic plants. As a rule, different types of plants (submerged in water, or with floating leaves and stems, or rising above the water) are arranged in separate stripes, grouped mainly depending on depth and the presence of current.
Near the very shore there are thickets of water iris, broad-leaved cattail, parasol, burrow, string, marsh whitewing, reeds, reeds, horsetails, etc., forming a thick bristle of narrow, closely standing tall stems and linear leaves above the water surface. It is inconvenient for large and active fish to be among such “hard” vegetation, since, firstly, it is difficult to turn around, and secondly, the fish are often injured by the sharp edges of sedges, pondweeds, etc.
In addition to “hard” aquatic plants, in reservoirs there are also thickets of “soft” aquatic plants: pierced-leaved pondweed, comb-leaved pondweed, floating pondweed, curly-leaved pondweed, Canadian elodea, whorled uruti, and dark green hornwort. Such “soft” thickets are also fraught with danger for fish: juveniles and adults sometimes become entangled in the tangle of leaves and stems. But near such “soft” thickets you can always find a huge number of juvenile fish, which, in turn, can feed on larger individuals. So if an angler notices branched bushes of such plants under water, he can safely expect fish in this place. If we move further, to the central part of the reservoir, we will see that “hard” vertical plants give way to a whole series of plants that do not rise above the water level, with the exception of the flowering period. Their leaves either spread out on the water (water lily, arrowhead, etc.), or rise almost to the surface and are clearly visible through a thin layer of water (elodea, myriophyllum, water mosses, etc.).
Next come those plants that huddle close to the bottom and are difficult to detect even when leaning over the water. Often, however, thickets of different types overlap one another, mixed plant communities arise, and in connection with this, mixed biocenoses. In such places, a more diverse species composition of fish is observed. The species composition of aquatic plant thickets can change significantly over time. This is due to the fact that plants deplete the soil, sucking out the salts they need from it, or release harmful substances into the soil (bottom of the reservoir), thereby stopping their further development and dying. In addition, changing weather and climatic conditions, anthropogenic impact on water bodies, etc.
The fish of our reservoirs have a positive attitude towards most aquatic plants: sedge, water lily, reeds, duckweed, etc. After all, plants provide oxygen, food, shelter, and a substrate for eggs. Occurring facts of inadequate attitude of fish to seemingly beloved plants can be explained by various reasons. Aquatic plants are very sensitive to pollution environment, and the poisoning of the reservoir, and therefore of aquatic vegetation, invisible to humans, may well be felt by fish.
Tench and carp are very sensitive to the secretions of aquatic plants, so you are unlikely to find these fish in thickets of arrowhead, hornwort or elodea. On the contrary, other carp fish and pike really love the smell of arrowhead flowers. Arrowhead flowers have three white rounded petals, and their pedicels contain a whitish milky juice, which attracts fish. After flowering, arrowhead shoots appear under water, nodules rich in starch and protein, which carp fish eat with pleasure. By the way, arrowhead tubers contain 25% more starch than potato tubers!
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Near the shore, along the edge of aquatic vegetation, many small fish like to walk in schools, which in turn are of interest to larger predators (for example, pike). In heavily overgrown reservoirs, fish are often found at the border of open water and thickets, and if aquatic plants are found only in small islands, then look for fish near them. These are general rules, to which, of course, there are exceptions. Let's start with a well-known aquatic plant - reed. This is a truly scary plant for fish, but only in windy weather. When there is wind, reeds, the stems of which are very stiff and resemble large straw, produce strong crackling, rustling and rustling noises that scare away fish. So there is almost no chance of finding fish in a pond among the reeds in windy weather. Exceptions are fish with weak hearing - for example, catfish, which in any weather, in any wind, can sit in the dense thickets of this plant. In our reservoirs, reeds are found almost everywhere in places with a depth of up to 1.5 m. |
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An interesting fact is that the author of the song “The reeds rustled, the trees bent...” was absolutely botanically illiterate and confused reeds with reeds! It was the reeds that made noise, scaring the fish and the “beloved couple,” while the reeds made almost no noise in the wind. Reed is a good water filter; the spongy structure of its stems facilitates the delivery of oxygen to the root areas, at the same time enriching the bottom soil, which has a beneficial effect on the growth of other plants and the well-being of bottom-dwelling fish species. For this reason, reeds are popular in artificial ponds where fish and aquatic plants are grown together. For the same reason, reed beds are often chosen by pike and other fish to lay eggs. In calm weather, among the reed thickets you can find roach, carp, rudd, crucian carp, ide, perch, carp, tench and bream. These fish easily reveal their presence among the stems when they make their way through them. Small and medium-sized perches love sparsely growing reeds; their slowly swimming schools move back and forth along the edge of coastal reed thickets. Large perch are more likely to be found at the ends of capes of thick reeds (or reeds) protruding into the reservoir, especially if there is sufficient depth at the edge of the vegetation. |
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Unlike “loud” reeds, fish of many species prefer to live in reed thickets. Dense reed thickets provide excellent shelter for prey fish and hunter fish. There are many different invertebrates here that feed on carp, carp, crucian carp, bream, juvenile pike, perch and pike perch, as well as silver bream, ruffe, ide, dace and roach. Externally, the reed is easily recognizable - a long, smooth, dark green stem rises above the surface of the water, on which there are no leaves at all. The stalk of the reed is thinner at the top than at the bottom, and the length of the “reed” can exceed 5 m! Botanists classify reeds as members of the sedge family, although they are not similar in appearance. Having broken the stem of the reed, we will see a porous mass (resembling yellowish foam), penetrated by a network of air channels that release a lot of oxygen into the water, thereby attracting fish and aquatic invertebrates. Usually reeds form dense thickets near the shore. Carp and carp love the juice of freshly cut reeds; By carefully placing several reed stems into the water, you can attract these fish to the chosen place. |
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Fishermen often confuse cattail or chakan with reed. This is a completely different plant; cattail has a rigid stem on which wide and long leaves are located. This beauty is completed by a dark brown velvety cob with ripened seeds. Dried cattail stalks with a cob are often placed in vases at home and later remembered about the catch. Cattail grows in places with a depth of up to 1.0-1.5 m. Most often it is found in small swampy reservoirs. Young tender tops of cattail leaves are eaten by crucian carp, tench, carp and roach. The leaves of a mature plant become coarser; only grass carp feed on them. But pike loves to use cattail as a substrate for laying eggs, which can be found among both young and old cattail. |
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Almost all of our fish avoid the thickets of Canadian Elodea, or, as it is also called, “water plague”. Elodea acquired this name because of its ability to completely fill a reservoir, displacing and surviving all living things. Only grass carp willingly eats Elodea leaves, and sometimes you can still see pike before spawning. |
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Aquatic horsetails are plants that form many shoots and tend to grow. Among them, botanists identify several dozen species, but usually we come across swamp, silty or riverine species. Externally, horsetail is a very characteristic plant: it has a cylindrical, rather thin, segmented stem, each segment of which is separated from the neighboring one by a ring of small serrated leaves. Horsetails, like reeds, have hollow stems that accumulate oxygen and enrich the water with it. This is especially true for fish in winter, in January - February. But be careful! Usually the ice over the area of the reservoir where horsetails grow in winter is thin, and the fisherman risks swimming in such water. |
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Another aquatic plant produces large amounts of oxygen. These are various pondweeds that grow at depths of 2 to 4 m. They do not tolerate leaves on the surface of the water; an attentive fisherman can see poorly visible flowers, similar to small fir cones. All pondweeds are perennial plants. They survive winter well in our reservoirs, helping fish survive oxygen starvation. Some pondweeds develop a long rhizome in the ground in winter, which produces new shoots in the spring. Dead shoots of pondweeds participate in the formation of bottom silt. Pondweed feeds on aquatic mollusks, insects and some species of fish. Many fish use these plants as a substrate for spawning. One of the most common pondweeds, comb pondweed, differs in appearance from the rest: its stems are branched, and its leaves are thin and narrow. This pondweed is found in shallow waters, its flexible stems twisting and swaying. Its thickets are often inhabited by schools of fry, which attract hungry adult fish. The next common species is pierced-leaved pondweed. It is most common in our reservoirs, has long branched stems and rounded leaves, as if strung on a stem (hence the name). By the way, it is this pondweed that owners of water motor vehicles dislike so much - the plants are easily screwed onto the screws of boat motors and wound around the oars. The tops of young leaves of pondweeds of almost all types are a favorite food for carp, roach, bream, ide, bleak, and carp. In addition to herbivorous fish, many animal-eating fish graze around the pondweeds, since the thickets are home to various invertebrates, insect larvae, mollusks and other aquatic organisms, which are attracted here by the high oxygen content. |
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Another plant popular with our fish is urut. Hydrobotanists distinguish five of its species, among them the most common in our reservoirs are the spicate urut and the whorled urut. Urut spica grows at depths from 0.3 to 2 m, and whorled urut - at depths of 3-4 m. Thickets of uruti usually grow on silty soils and love water rich in calcium. When the calcium content in the water is high, the leaves of uruti become covered with a lime crust. Uru spica is very sensitive to water temperature and less sensitive to light. Underwater meadows of uruti play a very important role in the life of the reservoir. In its thickets there are large accumulations of small invertebrate animals, which are food for many inhabitants of the reservoir. Schools of perch and tench love to pluck the leaves of the plant from invertebrates, and the urut itself is a great addition to the diet for bream, large roach, ide and other fish. In addition, urut serves as a substrate for fish eggs and a refuge for the entire animal population of the reservoir, especially for fry. In many reservoirs, pike use uruti thickets for ambush. |
Water Lily (Water Lily) |
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The water lily is a floating plant, which is often called the “water queen” because it is one of the most beautiful and largest flowers in our region. These plants belong to the genus of water lilies, or nymphs, which has about 40 species of plants. Sometimes it is called a water lily. Water lilies are unusual plants in many respects. They live in both very warm and completely frozen bodies of water and are distributed almost everywhere: from the forest-tundra to the southern tip of the American continent. These amphibious plants are able to live (grow leaves, bloom and bear fruit) both in water and on land (if the water level in the reservoir has dropped significantly). Fish highly value both the aromatic qualities of the water lily (many fish are attracted by the smell of its flowers) and the edible ones. By the way, water lily seeds are distributed over long distances by fish and birds. The water lily grows at depths of 2.5-3 m, but now this wonderful plant can be found less and less often in our reservoirs, and it is listed in the Red Book. Water lily thickets in closed reservoirs like to be visited by carp, carp, crucian carp, roach, bream, tench, perch (small), in rivers - rudd, bleak, ide, pike, roach. The carp diet includes only the youngest tender leaves, as well as water lily rhizomes, which contain a lot of starch, sugar and vegetable protein. Often thickets of water lilies are scattered in spots along the shoreline behind the belt of angustifolia cattail and lake reed. An interesting fact is that water lilies float to the surface of the water at exactly six o’clock in the morning, open their inflorescences, and close at exactly six in the evening and go under the water again. But this only applies to ideal weather, and as soon as bad weather approaches, the water lily flowers, regardless of the time, go under water, or on such days they do not appear at all. For anglers, the absence of water lily flowers on the surface is a clearly visible sign of a change in weather. |
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Many people confuse the white water lily and the yellow water lily. The yellow capsule grows at depths of 2.5-3 m and is a characteristic plant of floodplain reservoirs. Carp, roach, crucian carp, carp, bream, pike perch, ruffe, tench, bleak, ide, white bream, small perch, pike, roach, grass carp and even eel (artificially released, on Lake Seliger he chose its thickets) like to visit the thickets of egg capsules. . The diet of many cyprinids includes only the most tender young leaves (like the water lily). Old leaves become hard, rough and unsuitable for fish food, but tiny snails and small leeches love to settle on their undersides and are excellent food. Plants can not only injure fish with their sharp edges, but also cause harm to fish at night or in winter (with short daylight hours) because in the dark they absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide, which is harmful to fish. Plants are characterized by a process of photosynthesis consisting of two phases. During the day (in the light), plants actively absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in incomparably greater quantities than they consume during respiration, that is, they enrich the water with it. In the dark, the absorption of carbon dioxide by plants stops, and they only consume oxygen, which becomes less and less in the water. With the rapid growth of aquatic vegetation and high water temperatures in small lakes, fish may die at night, but even if this does not occur, the fish’s food search activity decreases sharply. With the onset of the light phase, aquatic plants energetically absorb carbon dioxide and process it into green mass. Intense release of oxygen begins, and the feeding activity of the fish is restored. By noon, the process of photosynthesis slows down, there is less oxygen in the water, and the fish are less active. For this reason, the feeding activity of fish in the daytime is reduced compared to the dawn: the fish are already full. In addition, in winter, at any time of the day, dead plants rot under the ice, absorbing oxygen, especially in stagnant bodies of water. It is in these places that it happens mass death fish. |
 Duckweed needs no special introduction. Anyone who has been near lakes, ponds or old ditches with water in the summer has seen this plant covering the surface of the water with a dense emerald carpet. Several species of duckweed, members of the duckweed family, are widespread throughout the globe, including in Russia. These are small plants floating on the surface or in the water column, consisting of leaves - leaf-shaped stems, fastened in several pieces to each other, from which a single short thread-like root extends. At the base of the leaf there is a side pocket in which a tiny inflorescence can develop, consisting of two staminate and one pistillate flowers. Duckweeds rarely bloom in natural reservoirs. Flowers have a simple structure: staminate flowers consist of only one stamen, and pistillate flowers have one pistil; There are no petals or sepals in such flowers. During the warm period, the plant reproduces vegetatively, with the help of young leaves that separate from the mother plant. Duckweed overwinters in the form of buds that sink to the bottom along with the dead plant. Duckweed trilobed grows relatively weakly, lives in the water column and rises to the surface during flowering. It is distinguished by green translucent spoon-shaped leaves 5-10 mm long. The leaves are connected to each other for a long time, forming balls that float in the water column and float to the surface during flowering. Duckweed is highly branched and forms a blanket of small bright green leaves with one root below on the surface of the water. Flowers very rarely appear in May-June.
Multi-root duckweed, or common poly-root duckweed - Lemna роlуrhyza = Spirodela роlуrhyza Poly-root duckweed is not found very often in the same reservoirs where two types of duckweed grow abundantly. A bunch of reddish or white roots extends from the underside of each stem, which has a rounded-ovoid shape. It rarely blooms in May-June. The polyroot has a dark green upper side of the leaf blade, with clearly visible arched veins, and the lower side, immersed in water, is violet-purple. The plate is up to 6 mm in diameter. All these types of duckweeds are cold-resistant and light-loving. They live in bodies of water with standing or slowly flowing water. When caring for a reservoir, you have to constantly catch part of the population or, by purifying the water, create conditions that are not conducive to rapid growth. Reproduction is mainly vegetative and very fast. Each stem, similar to a small leaf, quickly buds off new and new parts of the stems, which, while still connected to the main stems, give rise to new young plants. Species with individuals floating on the surface of the water can completely “swallow” a small body of water in a short period of time. Humpbacked and multi-rooted duckweeds are particularly aggressive. These plants are rarely brought into a body of water intentionally. More often they get there with the help of birds, frogs, newts and when transplanting other plants. It is difficult to completely get rid of duckweed, but its numbers can be limited by driving the plants to one place with a net or a stream of water from a garden hose, and then catching them with the same net. The extracted mass can be used to make compost and as bird feed. These plants clean water bodies of carbon dioxide and supply oxygen, serve as food for fish and protection from sunlight. But despite this, you should never deliberately introduce duckweed into a pond, since once it appears in your pond, it will be almost impossible to eradicate it. Also be careful when bringing other plants into the pond - make sure that there is no duckweed on the plant itself or in the water. |
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Two types of duckweed are commonly found: Lesser duckweed (L. minor) - see picture on the left and Trilobed duckweed (L. trisulca) - see picture on the right. Lesser duckweed inhabits many bodies of water and reproduces extremely quickly. The most common pond plant with flat elliptical leaves 3-4.5 mm long, floating on the surface of the water.
Material taken from the site:
A reservoir can take any shape, since it does not affect either its aesthetic perception or the behavior of aquatic plants. An artificial pond can be decorated in any case with plants covering its surface. For a small or canal, green plants planted along the banks will be sufficient.
We'll look in more detail later different kinds and methods for arranging water gardens and their implementations, presented in other figures, and now let’s look at the characteristics of plants, their needs and the influence they have on the formation of the microenvironment of a reservoir, saturating it with oxygen or creating shaded areas.
Choosing plants for a pond
There are many ornamental plants for damp places and swamps, intended for growing along the banks of reservoirs. Many aquatic plants are divided into species that grow underwater, with floating leaves and flowers, and floating species that live on the water surface. When constructing an artificial pond, plants of both types are used, but for constructing swimming pools, only aquatic plants are usually used.
Garden pond (mini-pond) with plants planted along the banks
Plants planted along banks and marsh plants
These plants can decorate both the banks and the surface of the pond (at a depth of no more than 5-8 cm). You can plant them in pots, which are then placed directly in the pool on various ledges so that a few centimeters of water remain on top of the roots. Among the most interesting aquatic species are the swamp whitewing, Cyperus papyrus, or papyrus, various types of cattail, marsh forget-me-not, long-leaved buttercup, smooth iris, or smooth iris, common arrowhead and other plants. All the described species do not play a serious role in creating and maintaining the balance of the aquatic environment. They are best suited for growing in flowing waters, including those where there are fish that undermine and expose the roots of the plants.
WARNING: WEEDS
One of the most common problems when growing aquatic plants is weeds and algae. The most common duckweed (Lemna minor) is a small aquatic plant that tends to cover the entire water surface. To control algae growth, it is enough to plant oxygenating plants such as water plague, or Elodea canadensis, or water lilies, which will deprive the algae of light.
Plants that oxygenate water
Some plants live completely submerged in water and, therefore, do not have any special decorative value. Nevertheless, they play a very important role in creating the aquatic environment of reservoirs - they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Their importance is especially great for pools with stagnant water with low oxygen content. Their presence helps reduce the amount of algae, maintain water clarity, these plants benefit the fish living in reservoirs, destroying mosquito larvae and other insects that litter the surface of standing waters. Some of the oxygen-producing underwater plants are also used in aquariums.
In the photo 1. Cattail, kuga, or broad-leaved chakan. 2. Uru spica. 3. Lesser duckweed.
Of interest are miniature (10 cm tall) calamus Pusillus, hornwort dark green with straight, whorled leaves, water plague, or Elodea canadensis, with oval oblong leaves collected in whorls, and pink flowers, and urut spica with straight leaves collected in whorls.
In the photo: 4. polysepala (Nuphar polysepala) 5. yellow capsule. 6. Eichornia is the most beautiful.7. Marliac water lily (Nymphaea marliacea).
Plants with floating flowers and leaves
We are talking about real aquatic plants. These plants are very decorative; they are distinguished by large leaves and bright, sometimes fragrant flowers. Some of them can only be grown in very spacious pools, but dwarf varieties are also known. Among wild species, the most famous are perennial water lilies (Nymphaea), which grow spontaneously on lakes and ponds, for example white water lily(Nymphaea alba) with white, fragrant flowers, capable of growing in water up to 3 m deep. Other species are intended for smaller bodies of water (from 30 cm to 1.5 m).
These include fragrant water lily(Nymphaea odorata). Its variety Minor is grown in miniature pools. In the variety sulfur-yellow water lilies Sulphured yellow, fragrant flowers (in the variety Sulphurea grandiflora they reach 5 cm in diameter).
tuberous water lily(Nymphaea tuberosa) is a North American species with a tuberous rhizome and large white flowers, from which numerous hybrids have been bred, grown in water of varying depths (from 15 cm to 1 m), and in some cases even in miniature pools. Hybrid flowers can have various shades of white, cream, yellow, pink and red. The leaves, green in the main species, in the hybrids acquired different shades or even changed their color to red or brown. Tropical water lily species of Afro-Asian origin do not tolerate winter temperatures below 10 °C.
Hybrids have been bred from some of these species, including those with night flowering. Water lily rhizomes can be planted directly into the soil at the bottom of the pool or into containers then placed on the bottom.
Rhizomes of tropical species can be removed from water for the winter and stored in damp sand in a room at room temperature.
Other heat-loving species can be grown in containers that are insulated for the winter. We are talking about perennial ornamental plants with rounded, slightly wavy leaves that initially float on the surface of the water, and subsequently rise above it to a meter height.
Among the hybrids there are plants with yellow fragrant flowers. Lotuses, depending on the variety, can be grown in reservoirs with different depths (from 20 cm to 2 m). Over time, their flowers can cover the entire water surface with their leaves, reaching 50-60 cm in diameter. Like water lilies, lotuses grow well in calm, still water. Much less known is the genus egg capsule (Nuphar).
Plants belonging to it are grown in running water, in the shade. The yellow egg capsule is a perennial species, also grown in deep water (up to 3 m). These plants have heart-shaped leaves 30 cm in diameter and yellow, spherical, small flowers 3-5 cm in diameter.
They have fairly developed, branched rhizomes that can be shortened. Of interest are plants of the genus Nymphoides - water bananas or marsh flowers- perennial tropical species native to temperate regions.
floating plants
Along with plants with floating flowers and leaves, mention should be made of aquatic floating plants, which, unlike the former, do not have roots growing in the soil at the bottom of the reservoir, and float freely on the surface of the water from which they receive nutrients. They are able to live on the surface of reservoirs of any depth.
Not as decorative as plants with floating leaves and flowers, they still sometimes bloom with inconspicuous flowers, such as, azolla carolina, or water fern(Azolla caroliniana), floating hornet, or water chestnut(Trapa natans) with small white flowers or aloe vera (Stratiotes aloides), also with white flowers. More decorative light purple flowers flecked with golden yellow and blue bloom on water hyacinth(Eichhomia crassipes).
Caring for water lilies
Plants with floating leaves and flowers (water lilies) should be placed in water gradually, in several stages. First, you need to drain the pool and then slowly fill it as the water lilies grow.
If the plants are placed in a pool where other plants were already located, then they can be planted in separate containers, which are first placed in the water on stands, and then gradually lowered lower over the course of two months, until finally they are at the bottom. Note, however, that water lilies grown in containers do not last long unless you feed them at least once a month.
It is enough to remove the container with the plant from the water, add a ball of bone superphosphate mixed with clay to the soil, and return the container to its place.
Planting plants in a pond: how to do it correctly?
A decorative pond is a fashionable and desirable element of landscape design. Let's assume that you already have a pond and the time has come to select and plant plants.
So. First, divide the entire pond area into 5 zones.
The first zone is deep water. It starts from a depth of 40-50 cm. Aquatic plants with floating or submerged leaves should grow here - for example, egg pods and telecutter.
The second zone is shallow, 10-40 cm deep. The roots of the plants that will grow here are in the water, and most of the shoots rise above the water. Suitable for this zone are iris calamus, susak, pantederia, cattail, ranunculus, plantain chastuha, three-leaved watch and arrowhead.
The third zone is swampy, with a constantly changing, but not exceeding 10 cm, water level. Plants whose roots are in constantly flooded soil take root here. Representatives of this zone - marsh marigold, calamus, cotton grass, whitewing, marsh spurge, speedwell.
The fourth zone is wet. This is already a coast with almost constantly damp soil. Here you can plant snakeheads oblique, sapling, Siberian iris, buzulnik, loosestrife, loosestrife, loosestrife, pink primrose and swimsuit.
And finally, a dry shore. Here the choice of plants is not limited, but the trees and shrubs that you want to plant on the shore should not damage the pond with their roots.
A special group consists of floating plants that are not fixed in the ground, for example, water hyacinth, frog's watercolor, amphibian knotweed, water chestnut. These plants add charm to the pond and benefit it by supplying the water with oxygen; needlewort prevents the spread of algae; and verticillate purifies the water.
There is no clear boundary between the zones. If you are in doubt about where to plant plants, nature can provide the answer. Take a walk around a natural pond and see what plants have settled there. By the way, you can borrow the species you like for your pond.
The most best time May is considered the month for planting aquatic plants. But if the spring is cold and rainy, then it is better to postpone work until June, when the water in the pond has warmed up enough. The most favorable temperature for planting plants is 10°.
Reservoir with natural soil - best option for plants. It can be replaced by containers with substrate. For planting, it is recommended to use both loamy soil and soil from a natural reservoir. Stores sell soils for aquatic plants. But you can make them yourself by taking loam, taken out when digging a reservoir, and peat in a 2:1 ratio.
Strong and fast-growing plants, such as reeds, cattails and burrs, are best placed in closed containers. This will allow you to thin them out and change the soil from time to time. When planting, cover the substrate and plant rhizomes with pebbles so that the nutrients are not quickly washed out. When using containers, weigh them down with pebbles to prevent the plantings from floating. Immerse the container with the planted plants in water slowly.
Do not overload the pond with plants. In a pond of 6-8 square meters. m, it is enough to plant one egg capsule, 10-15 oxygenators and 5 free-floating ones; in a reservoir of 15 square meters. m of plants can be three times more, and in a large one (50 sq. m.) - six times.
Plants for a pond are a large group.
It is impossible to imagine a decorative pond in the garden without plants. They delight the eye with their beauty, help create and maintain ecological balance, and also serve as a home for the inhabitants of the pond. Let's get acquainted with the main groups of such plants.
These include those that live in a reservoir under duress, and those that need water for life. Traditionally, plants for ponds are grouped according to their growing zones.
Floating
The next group is free-swimming. They owe their name to the method of planting: they simply need to be thrown into the water. The roots of such plants are in the water, and the leaves and stems float freely. Most of the floating species are not resistant to cold, so before winter they are brought indoors and “planted” again in the spring. In our region, Azolla, Salvinia natans, Hydrocharis and Stratiotes, also known in England as “water pineapple”, tolerate cold well.
Moisture-loving
For example, we are used to seeing a number of popular garden crops, such as astilbe, Trollius, and Rogersia in flower beds. However, they tolerate excess moisture well, especially during the period of active growth.
Coastal
There is a large group of aquatic plants known as coastal plants. They grow in shallow water, at a depth of 10 to 40 cm. Their roots and stem bases should be under water, and the stems and flowers themselves should be above water.
Calamus (Acorus), trifoliate (Menyanthes), sedge (Suregaceae), pontederia (Pop (es1epa), lysichiton (Lysichiton), cotton grass (Eriophorum), arrowhead (Sagiltaria), susak (Butomus), chastuha (Alisma) - all these the species represent a group of coastal plants.
Swamp
Another notable group of aquatic plants are marsh plants. They differ in that their roots must constantly be in moist soil.
Marsh plants include species such as Ligularia, Symplocarpus, Lysimachia, Iris pseudacorus, Equisetum fluviatile, Caltha palustris, etc.
Seaweed
The next group is underwater plants, better known as algae. For the most part they are completely underwater, but their flowers can be on the surface or even above the water. These include plants such as Elodea canadensis, Myriophyllum, Ceratophyllum, water pine (Hippnris vulgaris), Fontinalis. In addition, algae are the oldest plants on Earth.
deep sea
Deep-sea plants grow in the soil at different depths. Their root system is located in the bottom soil or in a container placed at the bottom. The leaves float freely on the surface of the reservoir, and the flowers are located above the water.
The most common representatives of this group are nymphea (Nimphaea), or, in common parlance, water lily (Nuphar), lotus (Nelumbo). Less known are Aponogeton and Nymphoides.
Planting aquatic plants
I am often asked how and when is the best time to plant aquatic plants. There are two main methods of planting: directly into the ground or in plastic containers (baskets, buckets, bowls, etc.). Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, planting in plastic containers the more convenient it is, that at any time they can be taken out and i water without damaging the plant. For planting, you need to choose a container of sufficiently large volume in which the plant can grow for at least three years.
Immediately before planting, it is necessary to cut off old leaves. The ideal soil for aquatic plants is a mixture of coarse sand, clay, ash and fertilizer. When planting plants such as pontederia, you can add nutrient-rich garden soil to the soil.
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For plants, living in bodies of water, water is not only a necessary environmental factor, but also a direct habitat. Among them there are representatives of different departments: seaweed, mosses, horsetails, ferns, flowering plants. As a rule, algae predominate, but there are also a lot of hydrophytes and flowering plants.
Classification
Aquatic plants are diverse in structure and position in the reservoir. Depending on their adaptability to life outside of water, they are divided into hydatophytes or hydrophytes. However, quite often, instead of these two terms, all aquatic plants are combined under the name hydrophytes.
Hydatophytes:
- completely submerged in water: submerged hornwort (Ceratophyllumdemersum), Canadian elodea (Elodeacanadensis);
- free float on the surface of the water: small duckweed (Lemnaminor) And trilobed (L.trisulca), frog's watercolor (Hydrocharismorsus-ranae);
- leaves floating on the surface of the water, but their rhizome is attached to the bottom: yellow egg capsule (Nupharlutea), pure white water lily (NymphaeaCandida)(Fig. 184).
Hydrophytes:
- immersed only with its lower part - common arrowhead (Sagittariasagittifolia), lake reed (Scirpuslacustris).
Features of plant adaptation to the aquatic environment
The aquatic environment is significantly different from the terrestrial one. It has special temperature and light regimes, different gas and mineral compositions, and a different density of the medium.
Light and depth
There is always less light in a body of water than on land, since some sun rays is reflected from the water surface, the other is absorbed by its thickness. The intensity of light penetrating into a body of water depends on the transparency of the water. Thus, in oceans with high transparency, 1% of radiation reaches a depth of 140 m, and in small lakes with turbid water, tenths of a percent reaches a depth of 2 meters. The spectral composition of light also changes with depth. Mainly green rays reach deep layers of water, and blue and violet rays reach even deeper. Submerged plants have to adapt not only to the lack of light, but also to changes in its composition by producing additional pigments. It is known that algae living at different depths have different colors: in shallow water zones they predominate green algae, found in deeper brown, and live even deeper red algae. In low-transparent waters, plants are found mainly in the surface layers, and in reservoirs with clear water - at a depth of 100 m or more.
Gas composition of water (oxygen content)
An important factor in the life of aquatic plants is the oxygen content in water. It enters water from the air and is released by plants during photosynthesis. There is usually little oxygen in water, especially at the bottom of a reservoir, where water is not moved by currents, so aquatic plants have a developed system of air cavities in all organs.
Mineral composition of water
Mineral salts necessary for plant nutrition are contained in water in small quantities. They are absorbed by the entire surface of submerged plants, or their parts. For aquatic plants to absorb dissolved gases and minerals, a large contact surface with the aquatic environment is required. Therefore, the leaves of aquatic plants immersed in water are strongly dissected into narrow thread-like lobes ( hornwort(Fig. 185), pemphigus vulgaris — Utriculariavulgaris(Fig. 186)), or have a very thin translucent plate (leaves of submerged pondweed). They have a completely undeveloped cuticle and no stomata. Some submerged plants have reduced roots ( hornwort, bladderwort), in others they are poorly developed (Elodea canadensis) and do not play a significant role in the absorption of nutrients. The roots of rooting hydrophytes are weakly branched and without root hairs. At the same time, a number of species have thick and strong rhizomes ( water lily, water lily), which play the role of an “anchor”, a repository of reserve substances and an organ of vegetative propagation.
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| Rice. 186. Common bladderwort (Utricularia vulgaris) |
In plants partially immersed in water, there is a well-pronounced variety of leaves - difference in the structure of above-water and underwater leaves on the same plant. The former have features common to the leaves of terrestrial plants, the latter have dissected or very thin leaf blades (water lily, egg capsule, arrow leaf, broad-leaved grazing grass -Siumlatifolia)Material from the site
Density of water
Water differs from air in being more dense, which is reflected in the body structure of hydrophytes. Their mechanical tissues are greatly reduced, since the plants are supported by water itself. Mechanical elements and conductive bundles are often located in the center of the stem or leaf petiole, which gives the ability to bend when water moves.
Submerged hydrophytes have good buoyancy, which is created both by special devices (air chambers, swellings) and by an increase in the surface of the body.
Water temperature
The temperature regime in water is characterized by less heat influx and greater stability. The water slowly heats up and cools down, and this is reflected in the development of plants: hydrophytes awaken in the spring much later than land plants. Daily and annual temperature fluctuations are less than on land. The temperature does not drop below +4 °C.
Reproduction of aquatic plants
The aquatic environment creates specific conditions for seed propagation of plants. The pollen of some hydrophytes is transported by water. Water also plays an important role in the distribution of fruits and seeds, which in many aquatic plants have the ability to remain on the surface of the water for a long time.
Wintering of aquatic plants
The aquatic environment determines the specifics of overwintering of plants. Many hydrophytes develop special organs of vegetative reproduction in the form of overwintering buds called turions. In autumn, these buds, heavy from the nutrients accumulated in them over the summer, sink to the bottom. In spring, the buds germinate and give rise to new plants (frog's watercolor, pondweed). Many aquatic plants overwinter in the form of rhizomes located at the bottom of the reservoir.
On this page there is material on the following topics:
Abstract on the topic hydatophytes
Hydatophytes representatives
Hornwort hydatophyte
Hydatophytes report
Anatomical features of aquatic plants briefly
Questions about this material:
Let's take a closer look at individual groups of aquatic plants.
Entirely submerged plants are most closely associated with the aquatic environment. They come into contact with water with the entire surface of their body. Their structure and life are entirely determined by the characteristics of the aquatic environment. Living conditions in water are very different from living conditions on land. Therefore, aquatic plants are in many ways different from land plants.
Entirely submerged inhabitants of water bodies receive the oxygen needed for breathing and the carbon dioxide needed to create organic substances not from the air, but from the water. Both of these gases are dissolved in water and are absorbed by the entire surface of the plant body. Gas solutions penetrate directly through the thin walls of the outer cells. The leaves of these inhabitants of reservoirs are delicate, thin, and transparent. They do not have any devices designed to retain water. For example, their cuticle is completely undeveloped - a thin waterproof layer that covers the outside of the leaves of land plants. No protection against water loss is needed - there is no danger of drying out.
Another peculiarity of the life of underwater plants is that they obtain mineral nutrients from water, and not from soil. These substances, dissolved in water, are also absorbed by the entire surface of the body. The roots do not play a significant role here. The root systems of aquatic plants are poorly developed. Their main purpose is to attach the plant to a specific place at the bottom of the reservoir, and not to absorb nutrients.
Many completely submerged inhabitants of reservoirs support their shoots in a more or less vertical position. However, this is achieved in a completely different way than that of land dwellers. Aquatic plants do not have strong, woody stems; they have almost no developed mechanical tissues that play a strengthening role. The stems of these plants are tender, soft, and weak. They rise upward due to the fact that they contain a lot of air in their tissues.
Among plants completely submerged in water, we often find various types of pondweed in our fresh water bodies. These are flowering plants. They have well-developed stems and leaves, and the plants themselves are usually quite large. However, people who are far from botany often incorrectly call them algae.
Let's take as an example one of the most common types of pondweed - (Potamogeton perfoliatus). This plant has a relatively long stem standing vertically in the water, which is attached to the bottom by its roots. Oval-heart-shaped leaves are alternately located on the stem. Leaf blades are attached directly to the stem; the leaves have no petioles. Pondweed is always submerged in water. Only during the flowering period do the inflorescences of the plant, similar to short, loose ears, rise above the surface of the water. Each such inflorescence consists of small, inconspicuous flowers of a yellowish-greenish color, sitting on a common axis. After flowering, the spike-shaped inflorescence again goes under water. This is where the fruits of the plant ripen.
The leaves of pondweed are hard and thick to the touch - they are completely covered on the surface with some kind of coating. If you take the plant out of the water and drop a ten percent solution of hydrochloric acid onto the leaf, a violent effervescence is observed - many gas bubbles appear and a slight hiss is heard. All this indicates that the leaves of pondweed are covered on the outside with a thin film of lime. It is this that gives a violent reaction with hydrochloric acid. A coating of lime on the leaves can be observed not only in this type of pondweed, but also in some others (for example, in curly pondweed, shiny pondweed, etc.). All these plants live in reservoirs with fairly hard water, which contains a significant amount of lime.
Another plant completely submerged in water - Elodea canadensis(Elodea canadensis). This plant is much smaller than the pondweed described above. Elodea differs in the arrangement of leaves on the stem - they are collected in groups of three or four, forming numerous whorls, the shape of the leaves is elongated, oblong, they do not have petioles. The surface of the leaves, like that of pondweed, is covered with a dirty coating of lime. Elodea stems spread along the bottom, but lie freely and do not take root.
Elodea is a flowering plant. But her flowers appear extremely rarely. The plant almost does not reproduce by seeds and maintains its existence only by vegetative means. The ability for vegetative reproduction in Elodea is amazing. If we cut off the end of the stem and throw it into a vessel with water, then after a few weeks we will find here a long shoot with many leaves (of course, for rapid growth a sufficient amount of light, heat, etc. is necessary).
Elodea is a plant widespread in our water bodies. It is found in almost any lake or pond and often forms continuous thickets at the bottom. But this is a plant of foreign origin. Elodea is native to North America. In the first half of the last century, the plant accidentally came to Europe and quickly spread there, populating many water bodies. From Western Europe, elodea penetrated into our country. The strong growth of elodea in water bodies is an undesirable phenomenon. That's why this plant is called water plague.
Among the completely submerged plants of fresh water bodies we also find an original green algae called hara(species of the genus Chara). By appearance it is a little reminiscent of horsetail - the plant has a vertical main “stem” and thinner lateral “branches” extending from it in all directions. These branches are located on the stem in whorls, several at a time, like horsetail. Chara is one of our relatively large algae; its stem reaches a height of 20-30 cm.
