''Salvinia auriculata'' is a species of plant in the

Salviniaceae Salviniaceae (), is a family of heterosporous ferns in the order Salviniales. The Salviniaceae contain the two genera '' Azolla'' and ''Salvinia ''Salvinia'' or watermosses is a genus of free-floating aquatic ferns in the family Salviniace ...

known by the common names eared watermoss,''Salvinia auriculata''.
USDA Plants Profile. African payal (

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

: ആഫ്രിക്കൻ പായൽ), and butterfly fern. It is native to the Americas from Mexico south to Argentina and Chile. It is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

and it has become

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

in the wild in some places. This species is hard to distinguish from other ''

Salvinia ''Salvinia'' or watermosses is a genus of free-floating aquatic ferns in the family Salviniaceae. The genus is named in honor of 17th-century Italian naturalist Anton Maria Salvini, and the generic name was first published in 1754 by French bo ...

''.''Salvinia auriculata''.
California Department of Food & Agriculture. The plant varies in size depending on how crowded it is among other plants.Coelho, F. F., et al. (2000)
Density-dependent morphological plasticity in ''Salvinia auriculata'' Aublet.
''Aquatic Botany'' 66(4) 273-80. This plant has long been known as an

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

. It had infested the

Zambezi River The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

by 1949.Hattingh, E. R. (1961)
Problem of ''Salvinia auriculata'' Aubl. and associated aquatic weeds on Kariba Lake.
''Weed Research'' 1(4) 303-06. It is also considered invasive in New-Caledonia.

Gallery

File:Algal_Bloom_-_പായൽ_04.JPG File:Algal_Bloom_-_പായൽ_05.JPG File:Algal_Bloom_-_പായൽ_06.JPG File:Salvinia auriculata 3.jpg File:Salvinia auriculata 2.jpg File:Salvinia auriculata 4.jpg File:Salvinia auriculata 6.jpg

References

Salviniales Plants described in 1775 {{Polypodiidae-stub