Ferny Azolla vs Water fern

Azolla pinnata compared with Azolla filiculoides

Key Differences

• Ferny Azolla is Least Concern while Water fern is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ferny Azolla	Water fern
Kingdom same	Plantae (植物)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum same	Tracheophyta	Tracheophyta
Class same	Polypodiopsida (ウラボシ綱)	Polypodiopsida (ウラボシ綱)
Order same	Salviniales (水生シダ類)	Salviniales (水生シダ類)
Family same	Salviniaceae	Salviniaceae
Genus same	Azolla	Azolla
Species	Azolla pinnata	Azolla filiculoides

Evolutionary Relationship

Ferny Azolla and Water fern share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Azolla.

Conservation Status

Ferny Azolla

LC — Least Concern

Water fern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ferny Azolla	Water fern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ferny Azolla

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas spanning the Palearctic and Oceanian realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan), North America (Mexico, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Tuvalu).

Water fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (18 countries), Asia (9 countries), Europe (27 countries), North America (4 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇪🇬 Egypt 🇲🇬 Madagascar 🇲🇼 Malawi 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇺🇸 United States