Pest Photo

Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Water spangles; Water fern

Salvinia minima

Water spangles; Water fern (Salvinia minima) is an invasive plant. It is a native of Central and South America and was first detected in United States in 1880.

These plants grow at such high rates that they appear as a continuous mat over the water surface, displacing native species.