Practical
Plants

Najas flexilis

an annual member of the Najas genus in the family Najadaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Najas
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Water
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Water

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young shoots - raw or cooked. They are eaten like watercress[4].

Plant part
Leaves

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant is used as packing material to protect items packed in crates etc[4][5]. The plant can also be used as a fertilizer[4][5].

Product or use
Fertilizer
Product or use
Packing

Environment

Range
Nrthwestern Europe, including Britain. N. America.
Habitat
Shallow fresh or brackish water[1].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in situ as soon as it is ripe if this is possible. Otherwise store the seed in water in a cool place and sow in situ in the spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A water plant, succeeding in shallow fresh or brackish water[2]. This is one of the few genera of plants where fertilization takes place under the surface of the water[3].

References

  1. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  2. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  3. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

  4. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

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