Vallisneria natans

Vallisneria natans, sometimes called Vallisneria floating, scientific name Vallisneria natans. In the wild, it is widely distributed in the reservoirs of South, East and Southeast Asia, where it grows in shallow water in swamps, lakes and backwaters of rivers.

The average size of this plant is 50–100 cm. The leaves are thin and narrow (up to 1 cm wide), collected in a rosette. Externally, it is practically indistinguishable from other types of Vallisneria. Specialists can identify this species by the structure of the leaves, which have a small number of veins – from 3 to 5.

Due to the difficulty in identifying Vallisneria natans, it has often been misreported as Vallisneria spiralis. Both species grow in the same regions and have an identical external feature – the presence of a spiral stem on which flowers are located. As it turned out later, spiral stems-peduncles are characteristic of many types of Vallisneria, but the name was fixed precisely for Vallisneria spiralis.

In 2013, the scientific community revised the plant species that belong to the genus Vallisneria. Vallisneria natans appeared, which was isolated as an independent species. Until 2013, the plant, which is now known by this name, had many (at least 16) other names. In addition to Vallisneria spiral, it was also known as Vallisneria americana var. Biwaensis, Vallisneria asiatica var. Biwaensis, Vallisneria gigantea var. Higoensis and others. They are now considered synonymous.

In aquariums, as a rule, they are used to decorate the background. In large aquariums, they can be located in the middle of the composition. Thanks to straight, upward-pointing leaves, Vallisneria natans does not obscure other plants.

It grows quickly and actively spreads along the ground, which is facilitated by the vegetative method of reproduction through numerous side shoots. In aquaria, reproduction by flowers is rare.

It is considered an easy to care for and unpretentious plant. Able to successfully grow in various conditions and can be used in almost any freshwater aquarium. Vallisneria natans is a good choice for the beginner aquarist.

Basic information:

• Difficulty of growing – simple
• Growth rates are high
• Temperature — 10–30°С
• Value pH — 6.0–8.0
• Water hardness – 2–21°dGH
• Light level – medium or high
• Use in an aquarium – in the background
• Suitability for a small aquarium – no
• spawning plant – no
• Able to grow on snags, stones – no
• Able to grow among herbivorous fish – no
• Suitable for paludariums – no