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Azolla caroliniana Willd.
Carolina Mosquito Fern

Azolla caroliniana
Copyright by: Shirley Denton

Family: Azollaceae

Group: Pteridophyte

Substrate: Freshwater Aquatic

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Widespread in the United States, the West Indies, southern Mexico, Central America and South America.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Rare

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images. See a 2019 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog on the relationship between barnyard grass and Carolina mosquito fern.

Other data on Azolla caroliniana available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Azolla caroliniana has been found in the following 24 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Native
Cholee Park Present Native
Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Present Native
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Native
Dupuis Reserve Present Native
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Native
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Native
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Present Native
J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Native
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Native
Jupiter Ridge Natural Area Present Native
Lake Okeechobee Marshes Present Native
Nicodemus Slough Present Native
Pond Apple Slough Natural Area Present Native
Prairie Pines Preserve Present Native
Riverbend Park Present Native
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Native
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Native
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Native
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Present Native
Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Present Native

Azolla caroliniana has been found in the following 11 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Native
Charlotte County Native
Collier County Native
Glades County Native
Hendry County Native
Lee County Native
Martin County Native
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Recorded as Present in Error
Monroe County (Mainland) Native
Palm Beach County Native

Azolla caroliniana has been found in the following 6 habitats :
Disturbed Wetland
Dome Swamp
River Floodplain Lake
Slough
Strand Swamp
Swale

All Images:

Azolla caroliniana
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Azolla caroliniana
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Azolla caroliniana
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley