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Scientific Name: Azolla pinnata Robert Brown
English Name: Feathered Mosquito Fern, Water Fern, Red Duckweed
Local/Bangla Name: Kutipana (কুটিপানা), Lal Khudipana (লাল ক্ষুদিপানা)
Aquatic weed : Azolla pinnata - Feathered Mosquito Fern, Water Fern, Red Duckweed

Photo: Richard Fuller (iNaturalist)

Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Salviniales
Family: Salviniaceae
Description:
It is a small, free-floating aquatic herb with an annual life cycle. The slender rhizome branches alternately to the left and right, with leaves arranged in two alternating rows. The fronds are triangular in shape, ranging in color from green to blue-green or dark red, often overlapping the rhizome with rounded or angular edges.
Habitat & Distribution in Bangladesh:
It thrives as a free-floating plant in stagnant water bodies, although it is occasionally found in slow-moving water as well. In Bangladesh, it is widespread across the country.
Environment:
Freshwater.
Comments:
It is a floating aquatic weed.
References:

Sobhan I, Alam ABMS and Chowdhury MSM (2012) Biodiversity of Tanguar Haor: A Ramsar Site of Bangladesh, Volume II: Flora. IUCN Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Pp. xii+236

Hossain MS, Islam MS, Mondal P & Hoq ME (2012) Assessment of aquatic natural resources in the Tanguar haor at Sunamgonj, Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Fish. Res, 15(16), 81-92.

Arif ASM, Uddin MS, Islam MS, Nusrat S, Das PR, & Biswas M (2018) Seasonal variation of aquatic weeds at Dekar haor under Sunamganj district, Bangladesh. Fish. Aquat. Stud, 6, 449-454.

Hasan AM, Awoal R, Sumon TA, Alal M, Hossen TA, Chowdhury MA & Uddin MS (2018) Species diversity and seasonal composition of aquatic weeds in Tanguar haor area at Taherpur upazilla under Sunamganj district, Bangladesh. Int. J. Fish. Aquat. Stud, 6, 570-574.

Basak SK, Ali MM, Islam MS & Shaha PR (2015) Aquatic weeds of Haor area in Kishoregonj district, Bangladesh: availability, threats and management approaches. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 5(6), 151-156.

Islam MD, Rahmatullah SM, Ahmed M, Asif AA, Satter A, Sarker B, Hossain A & Mojumder S (2017) Aquatic weeds diversity of Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Asian-Australasian Journal of Bioscience and Biotechnology, 2(2), 181-192.

iNaturalist (2008) Azolla pinnata. https://www.inaturalist.org. Accessed 27 October 2025

DNA Barcodes from Bangladesh
GenBank Accession Number:
Other DNA Barcodes & Nucleutide Sequences
Global IUCN conservation status:
Other Information