Family:
Salviniaceae (True Ferns)
Other Names:
Kariba weed, African pyle, aquarium
watermoss, koi kandy
USDA Code:
SAMO5
Legal Status:
Colorado Noxious Weed List A
IDENTIFICATION
Growth form:
Floating
fern. Perennial or annual herbaceous forb.
Flower:
N/A
Seeds/Fruit:
Spores produced in long chains of
sporocarps found on the submerged leaves.
Leaves:
Upper leaves green with white bristly hairs
that are split and resemble eggbeaters. Submerged leaf
brown, finely divided.
Stems:
Horizontal stems float just below the water's
surface.
Roots:
Rootless
Seedling:
N/A
SIMILAR SPECIES
Exotics:
Salvinia
auriculata, S. biloba, S. herzogii
Natives:
none
IMPACTS
Agricultural:
Clogs
lakes, ponds, streams, irrigation ditches
Ecological: Forms a dense mat that shades the water.
Changes the oxygen content of the water both by preventing
surface exchange and decomposing material which accumulates
on the bottom surface of the waterbody.
HABITAT
AND DISTRIBUTION
General requirements:
Freshwater
lakes, ponds, slow moving streams and rivers. Biomass can
double in 7-10 days.
Distribution:
Not presently known to occur in
Colorado. Found in southern US states
Historical:
Native to South America
BIOLOGY/ECOLOGY
Life cycle:
Perennial or annual
Mode of reproduction:
Vegetative
fragmentation spores
Dispersal:
Water movement, animals, man, and
equipment
INTEGRATED
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY
Freezing. Can survive periods of stress. Herbicides.
REFERENCES
Jacono, C.C. The Biology of Salvinia sp.,
Internet: 7/29/04, Available:http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/gs/facts/bio.html
Jacono, C.C., USGS, Internet: 2/25/03 Available:
http://salvinia.er.usgs.gov/html/identification.html
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