''Ceratophyllum submersum'', commonly known as the soft hornwort or tropical hornwort, is a species of ''

Ceratophyllum ''Ceratophyllum'' is a cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants commonly found in ponds, marshes, and quiet streams in tropical and in temperate regions. It is the only extant taxon, extant genus in the family Ceratophyll ...

''. It is a submerged, free-floating

aquatic plant Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and Non-vascular plant, non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic ecosystem, aquatic environments (marine ecosystem, saltwater or freshwater ecosystem, freshwater ...

. It has been reported from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

, northern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, scattered places in tropical

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. It is similar to the submerged

macrophyte Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic environments ( saltwater or freshwater). In lakes, rivers and wetlands, aquatic vegetations provide cover for aquat ...

Ceratophyllum demersum ''Ceratophyllum demersum'', commonly known as hornwort (a common name shared with the unrelated Anthocerotophyta), rigid hornwort, coontail, or coon's tail, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Ceratophyllum''. It is a submerged, free-f ...

'', a congeneric plant that is found in most regions of the world.

Description

The ''C. submersum,'' is a free floating aquatic plant which forks from stem three to four times and ends have 6 to 8 threadlike tips. The temperature tolerance is suggested to be between 4°C to 30°C, the optimal temperature is noted to be 15°C to 30°C. The height of the plant is often 6 in. -12 in. (15-30 cm) or 12 in. -18 in. (30-45 cm).

Identification

Soft hornwort and rigid hornwort can look very similar, despite the difference in texture that is apparent in mature plants. To confirm which species is present, one should check the number of times the leaves divide: just 1-2 times in rigid hornwort, vs. 3-4 times in soft hornwort. Ceratophyllum submersum sl28

Habitat

''C. submersum'' prefers to colonize

eutrophic Eutrophication is a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of organisms that may deplete the oxygen in the water; ie. the process of too many plants growing on the s ...

waters around agricultural systems. ''C. submersum'' is a self-regulating rapid grower like ''Ceratophyllum demersum.'' It strives in a moderately lit environment. In a strong lighted environment ''C. submersum'' attains an auburn color tint. Since this aquatic plant has a fast growth it has to be trimmed often, or at least be provided a larger tank or environment to accommodate it for proper function. It is found submerged in freshwater in tropical regions of the world, with the species being introduced in newer areas around the world, such as

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It has been found in the

Rosetta Rosetta ( ) or Rashid (, ; ) is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Rosetta Stone was discovered there in 1799. Founded around the 9th century on the site of the ancient town of Bolbitine, R ...

branch of the

Nile River The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...

of Egypt, where it thrives in either various locations at different times of the year.

Ecology

Its presence in waters have been associated with a decrease in nitrogen forms such NH₄ and NO₃ in water, but an increase in pH, conductivity and

dissolved oxygen Oxygen saturation (symbol SO2) is a relative measure of the concentration of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium as a proportion of the maximal concentration that can be dissolved in that medium at the given temperature. It can ...

. While ''C. demersum'' has been negatively associated with all

phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater Aquatic ecosystem, ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek language, Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), mea ...

classes, ''C. submersum'' was positively associated with them, chlorophyll ''a'' and

Cyanophyceae Cyanophyceae is a class of cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) ...

. ''C. submersum'' and ''C. demersum'' do not share the same habitat, with the cosmopolitan ''C. demersum'' being more distributed, indicating a similar niches. In some cases, ''C. submersum'' can overtake ''C. demersum'' in one vegetative season in a body of water.

Human uses

''C. submersum'' is often used in aquariums as a way to decrease nitrogen in artificial aquatic systems. However, it is not as common in usage as the ''C. demersum.'' It is propagated by cutting the stem of the plant and placing it in the aquatic system. After the organic matter is converted to soluble inorganic matter the ''C. submersum'' helps to oxygenates waste water.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q148111 submersum Freshwater plants Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Flora of Africa Flora of Florida Flora of the Dominican Republic Plants described in 1763 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus