Aquatic Plants for Austin, Texas
- Lotus flowers are held above the water surface by rigid stems.lotus image by jean claude braun from Fotolia.com
A wide variety of aquatic plants are found in water gardens, ponds, lakes and streams in Austin, Texas. They may grow at the water's edge, providing food and shelter for wildlife, or float under the surface of the water. Aquatic plants may be grown in Austin, Texas for their ornamental or fragrant flowers, or interesting growth habit. - American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) produces large flat leaves up to 2 ft. wide that float or rise on long stems above the water as high as 3 ft. The leaves do not have a slit like a water lily leaf and the stem is at the center of the leaf. The flowers are very large, up to 12 inches across, and also rise above the water's surface. The flowers are followed by large brown seed pods that are often collected and used in crafts.
- The buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) grows at the water's edge and may grow in water as deep as 4 ft. It is a shrubby plant that grows to 10 ft. tall and 4 ft. wide. The outstanding feature is the ball-shaped flowers that grow in clusters in late spring followed by brown seed heads.
- The white water lily (Nymphaea odorata) has fragrant white flowers and forms dense water lily colonies over the surface of the water. The flowers bloom on stems separate from the lily pads. The lily pads, or leaves, are up to a foot in diameter with a characteristic slit in each pad. It grows from rhizomes that remain firmly rooted in the bottom of the pond or water garden.
- Blue flag (Iris virginica) grows in water up to six inches deep and spreads by rhizomes and seed. The fragrant flowers are blue, yellow or white, depending on the variety, and are produced in late spring. The thick grassy-like foliage grows up to 36 inches tall. Blue flag iris dies back to the ground in winter in the Austin, Texas area.
- Water primrose roots along the water's edge then stretches across the surface of the water on long jointed stems over 10 ft. long. It roots anywhere the joints, or leaf nodes, come into contact with damp soil. In the Austin area, it becomes dormant in the heat of the summer after producing 1-to 2-inch yellow daisy-like flowers in the spring.
- Hornwort, or coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) is a native aquatic plant commonly found in the wild or in aquarium stores in Austin, Texas. It has feathery foliage on long stems. Hornwort has no roots and floats just below the surface of the water through its entire life cycle. Floating plants, such as hornwort, provide shelter and food for small fish.
