European Frogbit

European frogbit is a floating plant that lives in the still lakes, ponds and ditches of Europe and Western Asia. Its round or kidney-shaped glossy green leaves, 3–5 cm across, resemble a small water lily. In summer it produces white flowers with three petals and a yellow center. In autumn it forms winter buds called "turions"; these sink to the bottom, the parent plant dies, and the buds rise back to the surface in spring and grow on.

It is a temperate-climate plant; it is suitable for outdoor ponds and unheated coldwater aquariums. In a tropical aquarium it cannot go into its winter rest, so it does not live long. In the parts of North America where it has been introduced it has become invasive; it must not be released into natural waters.

It is not planted; it is placed on the surface. It does best along the calm, sheltered edges of ponds.

• Light: Moderate to strong.
• CO₂: Not required.
• Fertilizer: Usually not needed in ponds.
• Throughout the summer it forms young rosettes on side runners; remove the excess. Do not collect the winter buds from the bottom; they rise on their own in spring.