Flora in Ghana - Azolla filiculoides (Water Fern)

This is a small free-floating aquatic fern often growing in extensive colonies on ponds, pools and still waters and reproducing from fertile spores. The plant is greenish at the early stages of its life cycle but turns pink or dull reddish brown with age.(sometimes confused with
Azolla pinnata and Azolla Africana which has roots with laterals). The plants are small, 1.5 - 2.5cm long, with a more or less straight main axis with pinnately arranged side branches, progressively longer towards the base, thus roughly triangular in shape, the basal branches themselves becoming pinnate and eventually fragmenting as the main axis decomposes to form new plants. Roots with fine lateral rootlets, having a feathery appearance in the water. Leaves minute, 1-2mm long, overlapping in 2 ranks, upper lobe green, brown green or reddish, lower lobe translucent brown; minute, short, plae, +/- cylindrical unicellular hairs often present on the upper lobes. When fertile, round sporocarps 1 - 1.5mm wide can be seen on the under side at the bases of the side branches. The leaves often have a maroon-red tinge and the water can appear to be covered by red velvet from the distance. The upper surface of the leaves is totally water-repellant, and if completely submerged the plants quickly refloat with the right side up.