Bolbitis heudelotii
Encyclopedia
Bolbitis heudelotii , also known as the African water fern, creeping fern, and congo fern. It is native
to subtropical and tropical
Africa
, from Ethiopia
west to Senegal
; and down to northern South Africa
in Southern Africa
.
fern
growing submerged in rivers and streams, attached to rocks or wood by its rhizome
s. It has dark green, pinnate leaves 15-40 cm long and 15-25 cm broad. The water in its native habitat is fast-moving over sandy or rocky bottoms, very clean not very hard and slightly acidic. The roots cling to rocks and the sandy beds. It grows submerged.
. It requires water temperatures of 20-28 °C, moderately acidic ('soft') to neutral water with a pH
range of 5.0-7.0, and tolerates a wide range of light levels. It does best in flowing water.
This species is often used as a midground specimen freshwater
plant in tropical aquaria
. Propagation is from by cuttings from the rhizome.
It seems to be intolerant to being crowded and to fish excreta. It is best grown secured to a piece of wood rather than planted direct in the substrate. Additional CO2 seems to boost growth and it grows best in a rather shady position.
Propagation is by division of the rhizome. It is a slow growing plant.
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
to subtropical and tropical
Tropical Africa
Although tropical Africa is most familiar in the West as depicted by its rain forests, this region of Africa is far more diverse. While the tropics are thought of as regions with warm to hot moist climates caused by latitude and the tropical rain belt, the geology of areas, particularly mountain...
Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, from Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
west to Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
; and down to northern South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
.
Description
Bolbitis heudelotii is an aquaticAquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...
fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
growing submerged in rivers and streams, attached to rocks or wood by its rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s. It has dark green, pinnate leaves 15-40 cm long and 15-25 cm broad. The water in its native habitat is fast-moving over sandy or rocky bottoms, very clean not very hard and slightly acidic. The roots cling to rocks and the sandy beds. It grows submerged.
Cultivation
A rather demanding plant in the aquariumAquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
. It requires water temperatures of 20-28 °C, moderately acidic ('soft') to neutral water with a pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
range of 5.0-7.0, and tolerates a wide range of light levels. It does best in flowing water.
This species is often used as a midground specimen freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
plant in tropical aquaria
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
. Propagation is from by cuttings from the rhizome.
It seems to be intolerant to being crowded and to fish excreta. It is best grown secured to a piece of wood rather than planted direct in the substrate. Additional CO2 seems to boost growth and it grows best in a rather shady position.
Propagation is by division of the rhizome. It is a slow growing plant.