Najas madagascariensis

Najas madagascariensis, the Madagascan water nymph, is a stem plant of the frogbit family. Described by Rendle in 1899, this annual aquatic plant grows in freshwater ponds in Madagascar and has become naturalised on Mauritius.³⁴ It is only rarely kept in aquariums.² Although it grows quickly, it is considered not very decorative because of the long stem sections between its leaf nodes.²

Water nymphs hardly reach the trade because their brittle shoots easily fall apart in transit.² The species are distinguished mainly by the seed surface, examined under a microscope, and by the toothing of the leaf blade and leaf sheath.² Regarded as easy, the species is suitable for the midground and background, grows only submersed and propagates by cuttings or by shoot fragments that break off on their own.