Waterwheel plant remains distributed throughout Europe in Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the St Petersburg and Lipetsk areas of Russia, Serbia and the Ukraine; persists in northern and southeastern Australia; and remains in Botswana and South Africa. This species occurs in a wide variety of habitats, from small fens and billabongs to lakes, lagoons and river deltas.
Waterwheel plant also called as Aldrovanda vesiculosa, Common Aldrovanda, Aldrovanda generalis, Aldrovanda verticillata, Drosera aldrovanda, is a carnivorous plant of the genus Aldrovanda of the family Droseraceae. This species was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.
IDENTIFY WATERWHEEL PLANT - ALDROVANDA VESICULOSA
Waterwheel plant remains distributed throughout Europe in Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the St Petersburg and Lipetsk areas of Russia, Serbia and the Ukraine; persists in northern and southeastern Australia; and remains in Botswana and South Africa. This species occurs in a wide variety of habitats, from small fens and billabongs to lakes, lagoons and river deltas. It is most commonly found in warm, shallow standing water, within brightly lit areas.
Aldrovanda vesiculosa is a rootless free floating aquatic herb with 6-40 cm long, articulated stem that has 7-9, in whorls, connate at base, blade articulated, reniform to orbicular when flattened, reduced in the flowering whorl, upper surface with hairs and glands leaves.
Common Aldrovanda blooms from July to September. The flower only opens for a few hours, after which the structure is brought back beneath the water level for seed production. The flowers are white, solitary, axillary. Capsules are globose, 5-valved, membranous. Seeds are mostly 6-8, almost ovoid with black shining testa.
The trap mechanism of the species is categorized as steel-trap, similar to that of the Venus flytrap. Morphologically the trap is a bilobed wedge-shaped leaf blade joined at midrib called hinge, which bent inwardly after receiving stimulus to catch the prey. Numerous long finely pointed hairs along the midrib are sensitive to a touch to closure of leaf. The closure of trap depends upon the stimuli, varies from 1-10 touches. Unless, additional stimulus is added, it takes 20-30 minutes to open. The digestive glands become functional after imprisoning the prey.
WATERWHEEL PLANT - ALDROVANDA VESICULOSA CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Waterwheel plant prefers places with abundant light. Light is needed for photosynthesis and warms the water. If grown outside, place them in shaded ponds to keep water from over heating. When grown indoors, give them as much light possible.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Aldrovanda vesiculosa can be grown both indoor and outdoor but outdoor growing generally works better than indoors growing. When growing indoor, a 38 liters aquarium is needed. The best place to grow this plant is outdoors in an earthenware or plastic container.
This species should not be grown without other plants. The company of other water and marsh plants helps to lower the nutrient levels in the water by direct uptake and by stimulation of the decomposition process. Sedges, Iris, reeds, arrowheads and rice grasses are good companions.
Waterwheel plant does not compete well with algae. Weak plants become easily infected and will not survive. Too much algae is an indication of bad water conditions.
Watering:
Most water is fine to use from moderately hard to softer water. The water temperature during the growing season must be at least 16°C with 32°C as a maximum, but ideal temperatures are 23-30°C. The water temperature should be cooler at night time then during the day, but this is naturally happening to some degree.
The plant prefers waters with a high CO2 concentration and slightly acidic with a pH between 5.6 and 6.8. This carnivorous like growing in water that has decomposing plant mater in it, in other words, peat. Fresh plant parts dying and decomposing is bad as this encourages fungus. Old plant parts partially decomposed decomposing is good and that is exactly what peat is. To prevent accumulation of nutrients, it is recommended that part of the water be replaced regularly.
Feeding:
Never add fertilizers to the water. Their common foods are daphnia, mosquito wigglers, and protozoa. Catching abundant prey is a significant growth factor. They do a marvelous job of attracting and catching prey all on their own when provided with an adequate supply.
Rest period:
Winter dormancy is required, except waterwheel plant from tropical habitats. As day length and temperature diminish the plant will slow its growth and develop winter buds or turions at the plant tips. The mature plants that are freezing will die, but in early spring as the water warms, the turions will begin growth and the new plants will float to the surface, often before other plants begin spring growth.
Propagation:
The best way to propagate Aldrovanda vesiculosa is by stem cuttings a few centimeters in length. Healthy plants do this work for you by forming numerous offshoots. In favorable conditions, adult plants will produce an offshoot every 3–4cm, resulting in new plants as the tips continue to grow and the old ends die off and separate.
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