Skip to main content
MENU

Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants Logo    Plant Management in Florida Waters

Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants Logo    Plant Management in Florida Waters

Feathered mosquitofern

Quick Facts

  • Scientific name: Azolla pinnata
  • Origin: Australia, Southeast Asia, East Africa
  • Introduction:Mid-2000s, aquatic garden trade
  • Aquatic community: Floating
  • Habitat: Quiescent waters
  • Distribution: Peninsular Florida, many South FL canals
  • Management effort: Eradication in public lakes Eradication/contain in canal systems
  • 2020 Acres Treated: 66

Feathered MosquitofernFeathered Mosquitofern

Environmental and Economic Concerns

  • Surface of small, still ponds or backwaters, ditches or canals without wave action
  • Abundant in water with high nutrient levels, such as retention ponds, cattle paddocks and farm ponds
  • Forms dense mats, interfering with boating, fishing and swimming
    • blocks sunlight from reaching submersed plants
    • reduces oxygen levels by blocking the interface between the water surface and the atmosphere
  • Reproduces and spreads rapidly by vegetative growth and via spores
  • Can survive on moist soil in and around rivers, ditches, and ponds, allowing it to endure dry periods

Management Options

  • Biological: Unknown if triploid grass carp will control
  • Chemical: Diquat, flumioxazin
  • Mechanical: Impractical due to tiny plant size
  • Physical: Drawdowns impractical – can survive dry periods

Data compiled from "What’s Happening on my Lake" by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission