Aquatic plants — also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes — are plants that have adapted to living in or on aquatic environments. Because living on or under the water surface requires numerous special adaptations, aquatic plants can only grow in water or permanently saturated soil. Aquatic vascular plants can be ferns or angiosperms (from both monocot and dicot families). Seaweeds are not vascular plants but multicellular marine algae, and therefore not typically included in the category, "aquatic plants." As opposed to plants types such as mesophytes and xerophytes, hydrophytes do not have a problem in retaining water due to the abundance of water in its environment. This means the plant has less need to regulate transpiration (indeed, the regulation of transpiration would require more energy than the possible benefits incurred.

Hydrophytes share several survival characteristics:

1. A thin (or no) cuticle. The primary function of cuticles is to prevent waterloss, thus most hydrophytes have no need for cuticles.
2. Stomata that are open most of time: water is abundant. This means that guard cells on the stomata are generally inactive.
3. An increased number of stomata, that can be on either side of leaves.
4. A less rigid structure: water pressure supports them.
5. Large flat leaves on surface plants for flotation.
6. Air sacs for flotation.
7. Smaller roots: water can diffuse directly into leaves.
8. Feathery roots: no need to support the plant.
9. Specialized roots designed to take in oxygen.

For example, some species of buttercup (genus Ranunculus) float slightly submerged in water; only the flowers extend above the water. Their leaves and roots are long and thin and almost hair-like; this helps spread the mass of the plant over a wide area, making it more buoyant. The long roots and thin leaves also provide a greater surface area for uptake of mineral solutes and oxygen.

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Winter prep tip: Cut back all aquatic plants by 3/4’s leaving tender new shoots intact and inspect plant containers for root bound plants.
GardenStateKoi (Thomas Smith) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:05:13 -0000
Winter prep tip: Cut back all aquatic plants by 3/4’s leaving tender new shoots intact and inspect plant containers for root bound plants.
I want to put a bluegill in our pond - Ponds & Aquatic Plants... http://tinyurl.com/yhy68e5
gertruezfrv (Gertrude Combs) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:50:25 -0000
I want to put a bluegill in our pond - Ponds & Aquatic Plants... http://tinyurl.com/yhy68e5
TONIGHT 7p FL Native Plant Soc. #Martin Cty. Maintenance and Use of Native Grasses and Aquatic Plants http://bit.ly/fuykL Cocoplum Chap.
PineLilyFNPS (Florida Native Plant) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:33:06 -0000
TONIGHT 7p FL Native Plant Soc. #Martin Cty. Maintenance and Use of Native Grasses and Aquatic Plants http://bit.ly/fuykL Cocoplum Chap.
@lise1805 i prefer cactii & other drought tolerant plants. Love aquatic plants too. | @houzhou lavender rocks ^^
rrikesh (Rikesh Ramlochund) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:09:10 -0000
@lise1805 i prefer cactii & other drought tolerant plants. Love aquatic plants too. | @houzhou lavender rocks ^^
TODAY 7p FL Native Plant Soc. #Martin Cty. Maintenance and Use of Native Grasses and Aquatic Plants http://bit.ly/fuykL Cocoplum Chap.
PineLilyFNPS (Florida Native Plant) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:21:24 -0000
TODAY 7p FL Native Plant Soc. #Martin Cty. Maintenance and Use of Native Grasses and Aquatic Plants http://bit.ly/fuykL Cocoplum Chap.
And, coming up at 11, Bob Wilson has an exclusive, in-depth look at these aquatic plants. Check it out on WTNH.com!
WTNH (WTNH News Channel 8) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:44:07 -0000
And, coming up at 11, Bob Wilson has an exclusive, in-depth look at these aquatic plants. Check it out on WTNH.com!

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