Salvinia molesta

Giant salvinia

Salvinia molestla, commonly known as water fern or giant salvinia, is a free-floating aquatic plant native to Brazil. Renowned for its rapid growth, it forms dense mats that transform freshwater ecosystems. While ecologically disruptive, it holds potential in biotechnology and phytoremediation due to its unique structural and biological properties.

  • Scientific name: Salvinia molesta
  • Family: Salviniaceae
  • Native range: Europe

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Polypodiinae, it falls under the order Salviniales and the family Salviniaceae. Finally, it is identified by the genus Salvinia.

Rank Classification Source
Kingdom Plantae WCVP
Phylum Streptophyta WCVP
Class Equisetopsida WCVP
Subclass Polypodiinae WCVP
Order Salviniales WCVP
Family Salviniaceae WCVP
Genus Salvinia WCVP

Common Names

This plant, known scientifically as Salvinia molesta, is recognized by various common names across different languages and regions. In Japanese, it is called オオサンショウモ, while in Czech, it is referred to as nepukalkka obtížná. It is known as ծովոսպ in Armenian and called Watervaring in Afrikaans. Additionally, in Dutch, the species is commonly known as grote vlotvaren.
Language Common Name Source
ja オオサンショウモ Wikidata
cs nepukalka obtížná Wikidata
hy ծովոսպ Wikidata
af Watervaring Wikidata
nl grote vlotvaren Wikidata
fi poimukellussaniainen Wikidata
zh-hant 人厭槐葉蘋 Wikidata
zh-cn 人厌槐叶苹 Wikidata
zh-tw 人厭槐葉蘋 Wikidata
zh-hans 人厌槐叶苹 Wikidata

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific geographical distribution across various parts of the European continent. In Northern Europe, its presence can be documented in Denmark. Moving into Middle Europe, the species is found within the borders of Austria and Belgium. It also populates aquatic environments throughout Germany. Finally, its range extends further into Middle Europe to include Hungary.

Region Area Source
Northern Europe Denmark WCVP
Middle Europe Austria WCVP
Middle Europe Belgium WCVP
Middle Europe Germany WCVP
Middle Europe Hungary WCVP
Middle Europe Netherlands WCVP
Southwestern Europe Corse WCVP
Southwestern Europe France WCVP
Southwestern Europe Portugal WCVP
Southeastern Europe Italy WCVP

Activities

Salvinia molesta has 1 reported activities identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant.

Total activities
1
Scientific sources
1

Most Reported Activities

Activity Sources Confidence
Antioxidant 1 ★☆☆☆☆