water orchid

Aquatic orchid, scientific name Spiranthes odorata. The plant is native to North America. The natural habitat extends into the states of Texas, Oklahoma and further south to Florida and northeast New Jersey. It grows in a humid environment along the banks of rivers, lakes, in swamps and other places with periodically flooded substrates.

In shallow water on moist soil, the plant grows up to a meter in height thanks to a tall arrow with numerous white inflorescences. Young shoots appear on horizontally creeping roots. Thus, the Water Orchid quickly colonizes the surrounding space and can crowd out neighboring plants.

Although it is a semi-aquatic plant, it is able to successfully grow completely submerged in water. In aquariums, it grows slowly, forming miniature bushes of 6 lanceolate leaves, collected in a rosette, no more than 10 cm long. The underwater form looks like Sagittaria broadleaf. At shallow depths up to 40 cm, there is a high probability of the appearance of an arrow with inflorescences.

The content is simple. The water orchid does not have special requirements for water hardness and pH levels, and also thrives in both bright light and shade. It is noted that the best growth rates are achieved in nutrient soil and additional introduction of carbon dioxide.