The frog spoon is a marsh and aquatic plant that grows perennially and herbaceously. It often forms rhizomes, which makes it easy to propagate, or root tubers. The flower color is mostly white to pink.
The frog spoon is an easy-care aquatic plant
Actually genus of plant and not individual plant
Behind the name frog spoon hides a whole plant genus with about eight different species, not just a single plant. They are all native to wetlands in the temperate to subtropical zones and belong to the frogspoon family. Some of these species are, for example, the lanceolate, the grass-leaved and the round-leaved frogspoon, but also the common frogspoon.
The Common Frogspoon
The common frog spoon is relatively widespread and is about 20 - 90 cm high. It likes to grow in sunny locations and shallow waters. The flowering period is in July and August. The milky sap of the common frog's spoon irritates the skin and forms blisters, and the tuber is also poisonous. Consumption is usually fatal for grazing livestock, except for goats. However, the toxic substances are broken down by drying. However, consumption is strongly discouraged.
The lanceolate frogspoon
The lanceolate frogspoon is similar to the common frogspoon, and is sometimes confused with it. However, it forms a more compact and less spreading inflorescence and is much less common than the common frog's spoon. But he opens his flowers in the morning and not at noon. Depending on the location, it blooms from May to September.
Where does the frog spoon feel comfortable?
The frog spoon loves the edges of ponds and stream banks with a water depth of about 10 - 50 cm and full sun. He also likes a nutrient-rich soil. If these requirements are met, then it is easy to care for and flowers profusely.
However, where he likes it, he also spreads quite generously. You can only prevent this with a courageous pruning. You shouldn't necessarily leave the seed pods, because the frog spoon sprouts itself quite easily.
Different types of frog spoon:
- Ordinary frog spoon
- Lanceted Leaf Frogspoon
- Grass-Leaf Frogspoon
- Round-leaved frog spoon
tips
If you don't want the frog spoon to overgrow your entire pond, cut it back regularly. Also remove bloomed seeds, otherwise the frog spoon will defoliate itself.