The Azolla plant, also known as mosquito fern, duckweed fern (not to be confused with actual duckweed), fairy moss, water fern, and my personal favorite, water velvet, is a miracle in verdure form.
Azolla is a fern that has at least six species and three subspecies, several hybrid species, and multiple known fossilized species that all seem to have the same magical abilities. It’s been on this earth for about 100 million years, dating all the way back to the Early Cretaceous period. It’s crazy to think of this plant chilling with the dinos, but it’s even crazier when you consider that 99% of earth’s known species have gone extinct, and this little plant is still kicking (although many of its species are extinct or endangered).
But, where it gets truly crazy is that Azolla is thought to be largely responsible for reversing the effects of climate change 40 million years ago. Scientists call it the “Azolla Event”, which lasted for about one million years- and I’m not saying it was responsible for the ice age and, therefore, all of human existence, but it definitely helped out.
You see, Azolla has the ability to capture an insane amount of CO2 and nitrogen from the atmosphere, cooling the earth’s temperature. The nostoc azollae inside the Azolla leaves convert the emissions into something useful for the ferns and surrounding plants. Not only is this great news for Azolla, but it means the plant itself can be used as a fertilizer, eliminating the need for nitrogen-based fertilizers in farming and helping sustain renewable food sources- but its contribution to agriculture doesn’t stop there. Baffling scientists, Azolla genes actually have a resistance to insects, which means that it could also help eliminate the use of insecticides in global farming. As if that wasn’t enough to show interest in this little plant’s farming abilities, it’s actually an ideal livestock feed (in fresh or dried form) for sheep, poultry, cattle, goats, pigs- even rabbits, because it’s so rich in proteins, vitamins, and essential amino acids.
If that doesn’t blow your mind, just wait; there’s more. Azolla is a known biofilter for oxygen and water, eradicating harmful phosphorus and nitrogen levels. That’s right, this precious fern can clean the water you’re drinking and the air you’re breathing. It’s even been used as a human food, though the verdict is still out on whether or not it’s effective. As if it needed to prove itself even more, it’s been tested as a successful medicine for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. And if you thought there was no more this green wizard could do, think again. There are also early studies that show Azolla is an effective and renewable biofuel, which could seriously help moderate the whole oil and gas greenhouse emission problem.
So now you’re probably thinking that Azolla is pretty cool and can see its potential to cool our planet back down to a healthy temp, but you’re probably thinking it must be super rare, expensive, and hard to grow, right? Wrong. Because this little baby can sprout without the use of any soil, in only a few inches of water, it can be vertically farmed (which means shorter growing times and higher productivity in smaller areas) and grown indoors anywhere in the world- and has even been grown in outer space. It’s also one of the fastest-growing plants on earth and can double its size in two days.
It’s not all good news for our friend Azolla though. In many areas of Europe, it’s considered a weed, and in some regions, such as Montana, it’s considered an invasive species- which is an important thing to note because not all ecosystems can sustain the introduction of Azolla. However, we know that it’s not necessary for it to be grown outside, so it’s up to us to pay attention and fight for the little green miracle that could save our planet for the second time.