Salvinia oblongifolia

Family: Salviniaceae · Type: Fern · Not Native

Salvinia oblongifolia is a naturalized aquatic fern found in southern California in the Los Angeles County's Bixby Slough, growing in sluggish water and urban riparian woodland at elevations below 15 meters. This floating fern has distinctive oblong leaves 25 to 45 millimeters long, with tiny papillae covering the upper leaf surface and delicate hair-like structures with free tips. Growing as a small floating plant, it spreads across water surfaces with distinctive leaf blades roughly two to three times longer than they are wide. Its leaves are characterized by minute papillae less than 0.1 millimeters tall, creating a unique textured appearance on the upper leaf surface. As a non-native species, this fern demonstrates remarkable adaptability in urban water environments.

Habitat: Sluggish water, among emergent roots, urban riparian woodland

Elevation: < 15 m

Bioregions: SCo (Bixby Slough, Los Angeles Co.)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.