Riccia fluitans
Native, At-Risk declining
Riccia, Crystalwort
- Scientific Name
- Riccia fluitans
- Origin
- Cosmopolitan
- Type
- Native
- Plant Life-form Type
- Free-floating
- Taxonomy
- L.
- Presence
- North and South Island
- Habitat
- Floating or submerged in clear water flowing and still habitats
- Temperature (°C)
- up to 28C
- pH range
- 6.8 - 7.2
- Hardness (ppm)
- Hardy
- Light
- High, Very High
- Height
- 20 - 50mm
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Notes
- As a floating plant Riccia is richly branched & forms a spongy mass at the water surface. If strongly illuminated growth can be very rapid. Useful in breeding tanks for fry to hide in or to spawn labyrinth fishes. If weighted or fixed to the bottom can be made to cover rock or driftwood, but will require very high light and Co2 to thrive.
- Propagation
- Vegetative f ragments
- Features
- Often forming floating masses or growing intertwined with submerged vegetation. Plants consist of narrow strap-like green leaves (thallus) without roots. These regularly divide into two lobes and these can interlock to form large clumps.
- Source
- TIFBIS