Author
James Darton
Contributing Editor
The ocean might be home to fluorescent bursts of colourful coral (despite appearances though, they’re not plants though, okay?!), but you can find a whole host of weird and wonderful aquatic plants in freshwater habitats around the world.
Cabomba
![1 Floom Magzine Underwater Plants Cabomba 1](https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magzine_underwater_plants_cabomba_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=deaf366ebf1ad145c164dfe2a523fd3c 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magzine_underwater_plants_cabomba_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=03cc11e2a612edf537f3729d9b634ee9 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magzine_underwater_plants_cabomba_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=dab8fe954ae383ebf434ba82de4a8584 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magzine_underwater_plants_cabomba_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=e7b77a5470515ffa9782e03ce09706db 400w)
These freshwater plants are a mainstay of any discerning aquarium owner’s set-up: the feathery leaves are densely packed to create a fan-like effect.
Anubias
![1 Floom Magazine Underwater Plants Anubias Mark Hanford 1](https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_anubias_mark_hanford_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=f05bc7fb987903c1e540eb3989293a21 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_anubias_mark_hanford_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=78997ace06b6b38c70503c9e94abde81 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_anubias_mark_hanford_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=00d4424c392c8cfb08a1bee3186e3d8d 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_anubias_mark_hanford_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=049fae312cf0d4100c4f47bfa18e0c5e 400w)
Anubias bring a splash of rich green to their freshwater surroundings, with thick foliage that is both lush and hardy. Despite its durable properties, they often seem somehow dainty to us, as they bob about gently.
The Waterwheel Plant
This distinctive, carnivorous plant has developed a unique way of catching its prey: its free-floating stem is surrounded by a whirl of snap-traps that encircle the plant and snare aquatic invertebrates in its clutches. Once triggered, the trap can close in less than 20 milliseconds, making it one of the fastest moving plants in the world.
Cape Pond Weed
![1 Floom Magazine Underwater Plants Cape Pondweed 1](https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_cape_pondweed_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=0f24896e6dfa8547c4f1bbcfdfe19932 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_cape_pondweed_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=cef4437d74384cd311706335bc81ba89 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_cape_pondweed_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=db210ee25e72c51835a6e3bbbf63f8b2 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_cape_pondweed_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=1a6d47d07ff0217442221bb3f65d1b56 400w)
Ignore the off-putting name - these delicately flowered plants are sweetly scented and produce edible buds which are widely used in the traditional cooking of its native South Africa.
Water hyacinth
![1 Floom Magazine Underwater Plants Water Hyacinth 1](https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_Water_hyacinth_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=3c7926724ea82addfdadd5a5d0ecf8fe 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_Water_hyacinth_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=9d38ec1c6e82f4e44b8793732b936fce 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_Water_hyacinth_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=0b18d76ed39c5680792e8eddbc63f417 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_underwater_plants_Water_hyacinth_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=4084fa52aa58cf26cbe0ceb2c027ca1c 400w)
Water hyacinths can be found floating around in the Amazon basin, its free-floating stems soaring as much as one metre above the surface. They develop extremely quickly, and during flowering season the rivers can be found swimming in beautiful lavender and pink petals that lend a surreal element to one’s stereotypical ideas of the Amazon.