21. Aquatic plants

In the ponds of the Garden, numerous hydrophytic species are cultivated; these are plants that rely on a freshwater environment for their survival. These entities can be distinguished into three groups, that is, plants living in very damp soils, those anchored to the bottom of water bodies, and those that float. The first group usually includes species having the appearance of normal terrestrial plants. In the garden's tanks, they are represented by various species, including the common water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), the yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), and the calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica). Plants anchored to the bottom, characterized by rhizomes and long stalks or peduncles that allow leaves and flowers to emerge, are represented by species of the genus Nymphaea, as well as the yellow water lily (Nuphar lutea) and the lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera). Among the freely floating plants, the common duckweed (Lemna minor) and the interesting fern called the greater duckweed (Azolla filiculoides) are present. Lastly, there are plants like species belonging to genera Vallisneria and Cabomba, which can live both submerged and emerged, assuming completely different forms depending on the conditions they live in.

Leaf and flower of the lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.).
nelumbo foglia fiore

Leaf and flower of the lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.).
Detail of the inflorescences of Cyperus alternifolius L., also known as false papyrus, which grows naturally in the humid environments of tropical Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula, but has been introduced to numerous other areas around the world, including Italy.
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Detail of the inflorescences of Cyperus alternifolius L., also known as false papyrus, which grows naturally in the humid environments of tropical Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula, but has been introduced to numerous other areas around the world, including Italy.
Flower of Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm., a rhizomatous species that inhabits ponds throughout Europe and parts of Asia. As far as is known, it is extinct in Sicily.
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Flower of Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm., a rhizomatous species that inhabits ponds throughout Europe and parts of Asia. As far as is known, it is extinct in Sicily.
Frogs, which are frequent in the Garden's tanks, are good indicators of the minimal disturbance caused by people. In the photo, what was once called Rana esculenta and is now known as Pelophylax sinkl. esculentus, a group of species and their hybrids, where the hybrids never mate with each other but always with one of the species involved in the original cross.
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Frogs, which are frequent in the Garden's tanks, are good indicators of the minimal disturbance caused by people. In the photo, what was once called Rana esculenta and is now known as Pelophylax sinkl. esculentus, a group of species and their hybrids, where the hybrids never mate with each other but always with one of the species involved in the original cross.
Water lilies bloom in the Garden's tanks in late spring.
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Water lilies bloom in the Garden's tanks in late spring.
Aerial roots of Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich., a conifer living in North America. Since it often grows in oxygen-poor substrates, the aerial roots (called pneumatophores) allow air to reach the submerged roots.
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Aerial roots of Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich., a conifer living in North America. Since it often grows in oxygen-poor substrates, the aerial roots (called pneumatophores) allow air to reach the submerged roots.
Flower of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., the lotus flower, an aquatic rhizomatous species mainly distributed in Australasian regions.
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Flower of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., the lotus flower, an aquatic rhizomatous species mainly distributed in Australasian regions.