What is Azolla?

Azolla is a type of small water ferns that lives in symbiosis with microscopic blue-green algae called anabaena azollae. These ferns, which are found in tropical and mild areas, float on the upper part of ponds or streams and clump together to form green mats across the surface. Azolla is a family that includes seven different species in the Salviria family, although some scientists place it in their own family, Azollaceae. The type of filiculoides , Mexicana and Caroliniana are found in the United States.

commonly called the tiny Aquito Flower, and Azolla is also called a duck, which is also called Karista. Fern basically looks like a floating moss at first sight. However, this ferns have small overlapping against bi-lined leaves that seem almost similar to a scale and are attached to the stems. Only the upper parts of the leaves contain chlorophyll, so only the peaks are green. The roots of Azolly are thin and hanging under the foliage, directly into the water.

Azolla can reproduce asexually or sexually fragmentation or disputes. Although most ferns produce disputes, Azolla is unusual because it produces two types of disputes, men and women. Disputes are first stored in structures on the underside of the leaves called sporocarps. Male sporocarps are larger, more spores than the only spore carried in the female sporocarpce. However, female spores are actually larger than men and are called megaspores.

Anabaena lives algae or cyanobacteria in the cavities of ovoid leaves Azollas. These eyelashes feed nitrogen in a process called nitrogen fixation. This type of symbiotic relationship is more commonly observed in legumes that have bacteria or algae that create lichens.

Azolla IS very useful in China and other parts of Asia as a nitrogen fertilizer for rice field. It is said that Azolla is called "Green Fertilized", increasing rice production by up to 158 PROgent. It also allows continuing crop planting in the same fields year after year without having to let the field rest.

In addition to fertilizers, Azolla is also used in fish food and garden and is naturally food for various types of water pry, insects and crustaceans. It was used to clean the water in the Biosphere II project, which simulated the greenhouse conditions of the universe. Azolla is also good for mosquito control, because its strong mat prevents breaking the surface of the water.