Aloe-like water-soldier

Family Hydrocharitaceae. Occurs throughout Europe, except the far north; cultivated in aquaria.

The stiff leaves easily wound a person with their edges bearing prickly teeth, hence the name "telorez". The species name "aloe-like" was given to the water-soldier because of the similarity to the leaves of the desert plant aloe (the century plant).

A beautiful floating plant, for most of the time attached by its roots to the bottom of the waterbody at shallow depth. Twice a year — during flowering in July and at the end of August, when daughter rosettes appear — it rises to the surface and floats freely. An interesting plant; however, under favorable conditions it can propagate too rapidly.

Leaves light green, coarsely toothed, succulent, up to 15–50 cm long, up to 4 cm wide and 1 cm thick. Flowers white, up to 4 cm in diameter, unisexual. The plant is dioecious; male flowers are in inflorescences, female ones solitary. In late August it forms young rosettes at the ends of long shoots. In late autumn they detach and, together with the parent plant, sink to the bottom where they overwinter. It propagates quickly, forming dense stands. Hardy, it successfully overwinters as resting buds if the pond is sufficiently deep and does not freeze to the bottom.