7 Best Aquatic Plants in India You Must Grow

The plants always add to the beauty of the places wherever they are grown. These are some suggestions to grow Aquatic Plants in India.

The plants that grow in water are called aquatic plants. They are also known as’ Hydrophytes or macrophytes’ as they feed and grow on water, just like any other plant that grows in soil, these plants require constant care and fertilization. In this post, you’ll learn about the best aquatic plants in India.

Types of Aquatic Plants

There are a variety of Aquatic plants classified on the basis of their parts that are submerged in water.

• Emergent Plants: These plants start growing in water but emerge out of it as they develop, and the vegetative parts are present partially in the air. Mostly the parts like flowers are present in the air to facilitate the reproduction process.
• Submerged Plants: As the name defines, these plants grow totally underwater.
• Floating Plants: There can be two types of floating plants. One with only the vegetative parts floating on the water whereas the other one will have the whole plant independently growing in water. The first type will have its roots set in some kind of substrates and will not be free-floating as the second one.

 Aquatic Plants That Grow in Water in India

Here are many aquatic plants that you can grow in India.

1. Water Lettuce (Pistia Stratiotes)

Jalpari is an aquatic plant that comes with velvety green leaves growing quite long without a stem. Besides, this is one of the most productive freshwater aquatic growing well in waters with high nutrient content. Especially those that are defiled with human sewage/fertilizer.

2. Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes)

The terror of Bengal or Jalkumbhi is also an aquatic plant. The plant is famous for its vigorous growth. It spreads wide in a short period of time and absorbs all the oxygen from the water. This lack of oxygen in the water was the cause of depleting numbers of fish, which is a staple in Bengal, hence the name terror of Bengal.

3. Golden Pothos (Epipremnum Aureum)

Money Plant is an easy to grow indoor aquatic plant. Once it starts to grow, it is quite hardy and can thrive even in neglect. You can easily grow pothos in a tap water jar from cuttings. Apart from that, this plant is a good luck charm that brings wealth and prosperity.

4. Water Chestnut (Eleocharis Dulcis)

Everyone has had a taste of Singhara or Water chestnut once in their life. But did you know it is an aquatic crop that grows mainly in the tropical and subtropical regions? This nut thrives in nutrient-rich waters. Moreover, it is full of nutrients and has uses in curries and snacks.

Also Read: How Does Makhana Grow in India?

5. Water Lilies (Nymphaeaceae)

Usually, an ornamental plant, water lilies are quite hardy and very easy to grow. As this is an emergent aquatic plant, it requires a medium to grow. So first propagate the plant in soil and then transfer it into the water. You can also propagate this plant from leaves; all you have to do is separate the leaves with growing buds from the parent plant and leave them in water until the flowers and root grow out.

6. Water Stargrass (Heteranthera Dubia)

It is a submerged variety of aquatic plants that grow inside the water. You can grow these plants in the aquariums of your house and use them as decoratives. They are fast-growing and hardy plants. Plus, you don’t have to do much in its care besides giving it proper light.

7. Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera)

Pink Lotus, the national flower of India, is also an aquatic plant. The plant loves sunlight but cannot survive falling temperatures. While growing them, plant the seeds in the soil first, and once they start growing, place them in at least 2 inches deep water for better growth.