Azolla

Azolla is a genus of small floating aquatic ferns that host nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria in their leaves. Its fast-growing plants can form dense mats on still freshwater.

Anabaena azollae: A nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that lives in specialized cavities within Azolla leaves. This symbiont converts atmospheric nitrogen into compounds that support the fern’s growth.
Azolla–Anabaena biofertilizer: A crop-fertilizing use of Azolla biomass enriched through its association with nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. The fern’s accumulated nitrogen can be returned to fields as it decomposes.
Salviniales: An order of aquatic or water-associated ferns that includes Azolla and Salvinia. Azolla belongs to this order of specialized ferns.
Azolla event: A major episode of Azolla growth in the Arctic Ocean during the early Eocene, about 49 million years ago. The event links Azolla’s ecology to a proposed episode of substantial ancient carbon burial.
Azolla filiculoides: A floating aquatic fern species native to the Americas and introduced widely elsewhere. This species is among the most widely discussed Azolla ferns in agriculture and invasion management.
Biological nitrogen fixation: The enzymatic conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into biologically usable nitrogen compounds. It explains how Azolla gains nitrogen without relying solely on dissolved nutrients.
Rice–Azolla system: A farming practice that grows Azolla in flooded rice fields as ground cover and a nitrogen source. Paddy conditions can support Azolla growth alongside rice cultivation.
Water fern: A fern adapted to grow in or on water rather than solely on land. Azolla is a floating water fern with small overlapping leaves.
Eutrophication: Nutrient enrichment of water that can stimulate excessive plant or algal growth. Nutrient-rich conditions can encourage dense Azolla mats.
Azolla pinnata: A floating fern species native to parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Its use in rice systems illustrates Azolla’s agricultural role in tropical regions.

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