Spiny False Fiddleleaf

The Hydrolea spinosa, commonly known as the spiny false fiddleleaf, is in the family of plants called, “Hydrophyllaceae,” and is also part of the group of plants called, “Angiosperms.” To be more specific; dicots. This means that they are flowering plants, and they provide a critical place to live for pollinators. The flowers have a sort of lavender-blue color on their five petals. They are also an important factor during times of pollination in the wetland ecosystem, are good for improving soil health, and establish roots big enough so they help prevent soil erosion. They also improve water quality, which helps quite a lot in the ecosystem, and more specifically in their habitat, riparian areas. Riparian areas are the areas closest to the edge of streams or rivers.

As most plants, the Spiny False Fiddleleaf needs sunlight from the sun, carbon dioxide from animals, and nutrients from the soil to survive. Since they are plants, they are primary producers on the food web. They wouldn't be hard to find since they are “extant,” meaning they are very much alive and thriving. Although they aren’t endangered, they are indigenous to other small parts of the world, but in the U.S, they are only found in Texas, which might be a problem for botanists trying to study them. The Spiny False Fiddleleaf is also a perennial, which means they live for over 2 years, so even if botanists, people who study nature, were to take a year to find them, the spiny false fiddleleaf would most likely still be alive. Although they may have a long lifespan, this does not make them large plants. As most flowers are, the spiny false fiddleleaf is very small, and weighs very little. Although this flower may be awesome, there does not seem to be any cultural importance or any stories surrounding this flower.

Citations

http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Hydroleaceae/Hydrolea/

https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=HYSP

http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/rte/rteplants.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perennial_plant