AQUATIC PLANTS: +50 names and their types

Decide what aquatic plants need to live is conditioned to the different typologies, according to the aquatic plant adaptations.

• Those permanently submerged in water require the absorption of nutrients and the exchange of gases directly in the same medium.
• On the other hand, plants with a part outside the water do not have much resistance to water loss. They have stomata (pores) open and arranged on the surface. In addition, the stems and leaves contain reduced waterproof coatings.
• Another of the great needs of aquatic plants, especially those found fixed in very deep waters, is to obtain oxygen for respiration through the roots. Therefore, they have a body with empty spaces for air to circulate from the atmosphere to the roots, also allowing them to float or remain firm on the aquatic surface. There are cases such as the swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum) which are trees with special roots to breathe. They are called pneumatophores and they stick out of the water to reach the oxygen. Other aquatic plants, including duckweed (Lemna minor), have a kind of chamber under the leaves with air to float.

Therefore, aquatic plants for ponds or for other bodies of water they have adaptations that allow them to live partially or completely in water or grow in the soil of the banks of water areas, so they adapt to living in constantly flooded soils or with high humidity. Thus, they have adapted to be able to perform all their vital functions, including photosynthesis and respiration, being in water, something that differs more in the case of plants completely submerged in water compared to land plants.

There are some that can even be adapted to new environments, so they can be taken to gardens or become aquarium plants. For this reason, it is feasible to have aquatic plants at home, whether you have a garden with a water area or if you want to set up an aquarium with this type of vegetation inside the house. Taking care of them correctly and giving them the moisture they need they develop without problems.

There is also the case of rice species Zizania and Oryza sativa, which are also aquatic plants, but they have adapted to large spaces and have become large crops, which is why they are commonly marketed. Watercress, a widely consumed vegetable, is another hydrophyte with great utility in the food sector.

exist 4 types of aquatic plants:

• Riverside aquatic plants: They are plants found on the banks of rivers, lakes or ponds, for this reason they are also known as margin aquatic plants. The roots are submerged in water and the rest of the body is outside the water surface. They are also known as transitional plants because they stay alive out of the water thanks to frequent watering.
• Floating aquatic plants: They are plants whose roots are permanently loose in the water, so they float and are displaced by the surface by the movement of the water itself, the wind or by that of the animals that inhabit the area.
• Deep sea aquatic plants: they are found in the deepest parts of the water. These are some of the aquatic plants with flowers, such as water lilies, since although their roots are anchored in the ground at the bottom of the lake or pond, and for that reason they are known as deep-water plants, they grow until they emerge to the ground. surface, where some species develop more leaves and also flowers.
• Oxygenating aquatic plants: They are those plants that work as if they were a very powerful water filter and with a high growth rate. They absorb carbon dioxide and minerals from the water and expel oxygen into the water, thus helping to keep it clear. In addition, they help regulate the proliferation of algae and are totally submerged in the aquatic environment.

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