Alligators And Duckweed Are A Match Made In Hell

The world's smallest flowering plant has big ambitions.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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CREDITS
Created by Dylan Dubeau
Executive Producer, Director, and Director of Photography: Dylan Dubeau
Host: Tasha the Amazon
Editor: Collin Sideris
Researcher, Producer: Andres Salazar
Writer: Lauren Greenwood
Camera Operator: Colin Cooper
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Exploring the World of Plants and Fungi

[@silverknight9]

You're not fooling us, Tasha, we know you're really just millions of duckweed in a trenchcoat.

[@JS_Gaiserik]

this plant is called the tumour or cancer of the aquarium hobby, once u got it, u'll never get rid of it 💀

[@johngona5929]

For us, it's a mess. For the fishes, it's free food.

[@secdup2510]

It's the bane of my existence, every time i think it's gone from all my tanks a single leaf will be stuck somewhere and just waits for me to become complacent.

[@PondScummer]

I have the opposite problem, over all my tanks the fish love it so much they eat every last piece. I've had to get tubs just to produce more duckweed. I have found that the fish don't like eating azolla much so that ends up taking over, my goldfish and apple-snails do eat it eventually though.

[@kenneth9874]

​@@PondScummer Unfortunately the nasty apple snails have become an ecological disaster due to irresponsible idiots releasing them...

[@luisa.acevedo3326]

It also ruins our underwater plants. It blocks the light. I remove it, though never completely I know fish munch on it.

[@DanGamingFan2846]

I never would've guessed such a tiny plant could be so beneficial. Or be so good at hiding gators.

[@haseo8244]

You should see leafy duckweed. It’s different in some ways.

[@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269]

Is it just me or does that gator in the thumbnail look oddly satisfied with itself? Like it just set a personal record for "Most Duckweed on Face". 😄👍

[@MatthewTheWanderer]

Yeah, somehow it does look like it's smiling

[@thebrokenpuppet2714]

That gator in the thumbnail actually looks weirdly cute.

[@ogcurly6256]

He look like he's going 😋 underwater

[@GAC913]

It looks a bit cartoon-like. Don't you think?

[@arnaldorentes5371]

I agree!

[@romanaww]

That's its strategy haha

[@deadlydingus1138]

He looks so comfortable.

[@and2244rew]

Duckweed is why people think alligators are green … they’re not.

[@BedeGeneris]

what color are alligators?

[@Bunny-no]

​@@BedeGeneris Black or brown

[@SoldierOfJah]

…….😮

[@lordbao6678]

As a fish keeper, nothing scare me than overlooking a couple of duck weed on the water

[@erikjohnson9223]

Tilapia and other plant eating types will eat it, just not all of it. Everything depends on your goals.

[@Nefville]

Three weeks ago I drove past a lake that was totally frozen. Yesterday I drove past it and it was 75% covered in duckweed. The lake is maybe 2 acres or 500ft by 300ft. The stuff is incredible.

[@xxdemisucksxx]

Swamp dog : "bro i need to camouflage" Duck weeds : "say less bro"

[@StarTexaspets]

Just cleaned my fishtank and am covered in duckweed lol the timing P.S don't put your aquarium duckweed down the drain!

[@OmegaTryce]

Do you eat it?

[@StarTexaspets]

@@OmegaTryce never have, haha I've made dried fish food with it, but am constantly throwing it away

[@erikjohnson9223]

Feed it to ducks, some fish, or just let it dry out and become fertilizer in your (Terra firma) garden.

[@huldu]

I've always been fascinated by the duckweed when I first accidentally got it in my fish tank as a teenager. They grow so fast!

[@user-zw5jj2uf1p]

You had the tank in your house! How tf did it get there? Does it have floating spores?

[@huldu]

@@user-zw5jj2uf1p I for sure got it from the fish store, sometimes you get things that you might not want or paid for(like snails). The fish store practices back in the day were not like they are today, I hope at least.

[@jeffreycater5447]

@@user-zw5jj2uf1pit can come it when you get live plants or fish. I got a few in my tank a couple weeks ago. And now it’s growing

[@D.H.1082]

What a cool plant. Also, the bloopers are, once again, the highlight of the video. Lmao

[@jigokutsuushin]

Aquarist here. Duckweed is perfect for reducing ammonia in aquariums but can also reproduce uncontrollably and take over the entire aquarium. It's a love-hate relationship!

[@koenstokes5985]

No love for Azolla? Tiniest fern, just as prolific as duckweed.

[@erikjohnson9223]

It (or rather then blue-green algae it hosts) is a nitrogen-fixer. This makes it potentially more prolific, but much less useful for water treatment (where we try to remove nitrogen compounds from the water in order to reduce the likelihood of downstream algal blooms and resultant dead zones). Since most cyanobacteria produce cyanotoxins such as the nonprotein amino acid BMAA, azolla is quite suspect as food or forage. However it is good fertilizer for rice and other emergent aquatic crops (if the BMAA isn't taken up directly by plants?--I did see one paper where castor bean took up proline from soil that supposedly had been kept free from all microorganisms, which is troubling because BMAA isn't that different in molecular weight).

[@reywashere5284]

Azolla episode would be great!

[@Brownyman]

Duckweed will likely be one of the first interplanetary flora.

[@captainlovebug]

Yes yes very cool. However, in the aquarium hobby this is up there with pond snails as a major annoyance lol

[@cyberwolf6667]

My koi love it, I can’t get it to grow out of control. I always have to get from the store or online, I don’t want to put wild duckweed in the pond due to parasites

[@SorenAlba54]

I’ve seen that plant many times throughout my life, either in person or through documentaries, but I never knew its name till now. Thank you, Tasha.

[@sarah.s.flanagan]

the backgound is SO satisfyingly green in this one

[@cizzlebot]

Ahhh, duckweed! I love this plant! Researched and talked about it on my podcast once. So underrated!

[@matthewheide4797]

"I love Duck weed because it is the exact opposite of sand" said Anakin Skywalker, allegedly during the filming of Episode 2. 😊

[@philtkaswahl2124]

This Star Wars reference was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

That's why he never went to Kamino..

[@MatthewTheWanderer]

Not exact opposite, since it still gets everywhere

[@matthewheide4797]

This is true 😀@@MatthewTheWanderer

[@HighlanderNorth1]

😉👍 Yeah, and most people don't realize that duck weed is where ducks got their name! Here's how it happened: Two scientists(birdologists) were walking along the banks of a lake one day while trying to figure out what name to give to the aquatic birds all around them. Suddenly, one of the scientists caught a glimpse of a few birds eating duck weed. It was at that moment when they decided to start calling them "ducks", after the food they were eating! 👉 Disclaimer: ^It's a joke(for those few folks who assumed otherwise).

[@SkunkySpinda]

I would lOVE to hear more about Nocturnal flowers and other flora like Moon Flowers~!

[@DutchOrBelgian]

Ok, super mundane, but spider-plants and pathos. They seem to do great, they can be cloned easily and the clones can get a head start in just water. While I’m at it: ficus. All kinds. Just amazing. Omg and my favorite house plants: Norfolk Island Pines.

[@spoodlenoodle]

I'm not sure if you guys have covered this yet, but as a south African growing up in the eastern cape I've always heard about the dreaded wattle (or wottle?) and it would be super cool if Tasha covered the story of it getting here and how it became so invasive. Love you guys! ❤

[@tonydeluna8095]

Another awesome video from Animal logic ! Looking forward to this

[@SnubbyDaArtist]

I’m looking forward to this too!!

[@corvid...]

This channel is always reliably great, love getting notifications for them

[@Xiporah]

I tried to grow duckweed in my aquatic turtles tank. It was the most expensive meal she's ever had because she ate it all within an hour.

[@victorygarden556]

You can get some for free out of pond and from other aquarists. If you want it to live next time it could depending on the size of the tank and the protection you give it. My goldfish eat it too but won’t go in vallisneria for it.

[@arnaldorentes5371]

Hello! The video about Lemna is very good, I didn't even know there were several species. And since you asked, you could have said they're aroids, which is pretty weird. You have others in your studio, such as Alocasia, Philodendron, etc. Big hug from Brazil!

[@philtkaswahl2124]

This would be the kind of plant a sci-fi author would use as some kind of hydroponic-grown food source in some spacecraft or space colony.

[@sarah.s.flanagan]

First learned about duckweed when I was 3 or 4 and doing a short day-hike with my parents. My dad pointed out what looked like a bright green patch of grass and then tossed a small rock at it to make a splash. Quite the surprise for tiny-me!

[@sangun123]

they're weirdly like 40% protein in mass, like super sustainable

[@_koraki]

Edible for people?

[@samhaines8228]

lets see a timelapse of Tasha's greenspace- filling in nicely!

[@loganphetteplace6532]

Truly I would love like a houseplant segment, talk about common houseplants but in their natural habitat, how some become invasive like epipremnum (pothos) or Tradescantia in south florida. There’s a lot to go through, Anthurium, Alocasia, Colocasia, Monstera, Scindapsus, Hoya, Begonia, Philodendron

[@Beryllahawk]

I would LOVE if Tasha could do one or two dips into the world of growing your own plants too - especially those of us with nearly no space and/or a black thumb! It seems like there'd be some nice content in that group of topics and I know I for one would be SO grateful for more advice.

[@erikjohnson9223]

Duckweed is probably easy in a freshwater aquarium with grow lights and some nutrient source. (-:

[@brentbeacham9691]

It’s nice to know duckweed will help the planet recover after we are gone.

[@danimcfadden4853]

I just recently learned about the Azolla event; where basically the earth went from tropical at the poles warm to ice age because massive amounts of duckweed consumed the greenhouse gases and then died off, basically locking it away in the ocean. Duckweed literally changed the entire climate!

[@Dylan-vd6rz]

Duckweed is in all my fish tanks

[@Hatrackman]

Chickweed, Miner's lettuce, Sheep Sorrel... basically all edible 'weeds'.

[@eddie20307]

Love you Tasha! You are brilliant ❤

[@erikm8372]

I was truly amazed to discover duckweed is one of the most basal species of aroid plants (family Araceae), including popular plants like philodendrons, pothos, Monstera, anthuriums, peace lilies, etc., and aquatic aroids, such as Anubias, Bucephalandra, and Cryptocoryne, and so many more. And to think aquascapers and aquarists can’t stand the stuff. Lol, actually, some people do like it, as it’s good for filtration, and it’s good for goldfish and other fish to eat… I also like the giant duckweed.

[@erikm8372]

Duckweed is also related to that Alocasia frydek (mitcholitziana) to the left of the screen 😊

[@tonydeveyra4611]

A good friend of mine grows duckweed and sells it at his farmer's market. Its a superfood, high in omega 3 fatty acids and protein

[@elijahoconnell]

i love your hair, i love the braids connecting to the buns. i like to do that and have whiskers over my eyes too sometimes ty for coming to my ted talk

[@timsullivan4566]

Fauna gone-a. More-a flora please!

[@robcouncil1592]

Hi Tasha! Great work and presentation! 😎👋🏿🙌🏿👏🏿👍🏿💯

[@elintrovertido3]

Really enjoyed watching this!! ... could you please talk about Cordyceps Fungus in the future

[@orbweaver9750]

I love these videos but Tasha's outtakes at the end are just the icing on the cake hahahahaha

[@FuglyStick]

Get that stuff in your pond and you'll never get rid of it.

[@lettersnstuff]

would love to see a video about tallgrass prairies. some of the roots reach 14 feet underground, it’s wild

[@sairvinginthestacks]

Ahhh duckweed. The bane of my existence. Just scooped out a whole net full from my tank.

[@6852660]

Please talk about phantom orchids next!

[@evilsharkey8954]

I’m surprised you didn’t delve into the tiniest of the duckweeds. It’s wolffia, the tiny green specks that can be seen between the larger, more recognizable, leafy species at 0:44. The entire plant is just a millimeter long!

[@jawharp9467]

I enjoyed learning about this topic.

[@y-u-video4596]

very ballanced episode - love it

[@AKINAacacia]

What *can't* duckweed do? Get off my hands and arms when trying to do a water change in my fish tanks!

[@Lynk4Lyfe]

I'd love to learn more about significant facts about plant roots!

[@curtvona4891]

Thanks. I did not know much about this subject. I am enlightened.

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

Very interesting plant! On a side note, your hair looks extra nice like that!

[@WHALEx3]

I think it’s important to say that EPA saysbiofuels pollute the air with even more greenhouse gasses than regular fuels. I guess no drilling is nice, but still.

[@blessedbeauty2293]

- Duck weed is the most fast growing ever. People love or hate to put them in their aquarium tanks.

[@raymarshall4809]

Another awesome episode🎉🎉🎉

[@shamefulbrainbot4742]

"Perpetually human host"? Now i don't trust you

[@braveagentg]

That finger was ALMOST going inside the nose!

[@randomstranger2472]

Incredible content!

[@feathero3]

I will never forget being a 6 year old walking through a park and deciding to take a short cut off the main path by going down a small hill and across an open field, only to have my foot go through the very ground itself, because that was not an open field but actually a pond fully covered in duckweed. x_x Freaked me out as kid, but also fascinated me that a plant like that could exist and fully hide a body of water like that.

[@takeshmode]

Love her outtakes 😂😂

[@Dlstufguy2]

If the smallest piece of duckweed gets into your aquarium you will never get it out without goldfish to eat it. Only thing worse is black beard algae

[@lovetherain3x3]

Congrats on your engagement ❣️

[@schubi6904]

I would love more tree videos. Like redwood

[@andiralosh2173]

It's cool that they named ducks after the weeds they eat

[@fyou1120]

I have fish tanks and I have a bunch of it and always tried to get rid of it, but now I know.

[@Andrzej-sn6ei]

The alligator ghillie suit.

[@tigrefuego3916]

I love her so much!

[@AphidKirby]

Duckweed ==:) always thought they were so cute!! They're awsome!

[@xyreniaofcthrayn1195]

Gators found a natural gillie suit.

[@narkedandafraid]

I was born in Orlando, Florida. Lived here for 23 years. I can confirm this is a common sight.

[@Kalithrasis]

Their main family is the Araceae which includes everything from Callas to Amorphophallus, to the plant right in front of Tasha.

[@alessandrorivera7468]

For the next episode. Can we have a video on epiphitic plants? Specifically cacti?🤧

[@maxximus6418]

Plot twist: Tasha is made of a swarm of sentient duckweed disguised as a human

[@kaleoariola]

Very interesting. Mahalo for sharing

[@Midraj]

I would love to see a comparison between duckweed and water hyacinth when it comes to water treatment and invasiveness

[@JugheadJones03]

Oh Tasha, Your whimsy is boundless! 😆

[@frenettaoneal2482]

the gator saw us and said i do camo too

[@BillBird-df3pf]

I love swimming in this stuff like the gator! It's fun to come up through... feels pretty weird!

[@marianocolsin8968]

Now I can't wait for an episode hosted by a plant

[@uthalcyon]

Some prove wrong the "no duckweed beer" thing.

[@feralaeroapparel]

Yay😂 the bloopers 🤗🥰😭

[@corbechupacabra]

i wish you would have provided a good look at a blooming duckweed flower

[@mikewilson858]

I have a little aquarium with water and soil from a seasonal pond. I was surprised to see little green dots floating on the surface and thought they were algae and was surprised to find they were flowering plants.

[@Feral_Darryl]

Love that Amazom

[@orawal]

Wanted to see a shot of its flowers

[@adamhickinbottom5041]

Love this show ❤❤❤

[@Grime_time]

I didn’t know you could eat it!! Definitely growing some for this reason. 😌

[@randomstranger2472]

This is the alien of our nightmares, if you were a bacteria

[@PhoenixBeI]

I am very impressed by this plant. I've been considering living off-grid and creating a wastewater recycling system. I'm hoping to have a pond, and feed this water into the pond. Would it be possible to make something like this with this plant? I'd be interested in learning more about this little plant.

[@patrickblanchette4337]

Thank God for duckweed!

[@lucavogels]

Imagine this could service in salt water. The blue earth would turn entirely green within a few years 😵

[@skullbones1014]

The glitter of fish tanks

[@TheReal_ist]

I’m looking forward to our inevitable host Named Billy the duckweed. Sorry it’s time Tasha 😆😆

[@johnransom1146]

Lupins. I’m in Nova Scotia and they’re everywhere. I have heard there’s an edible type now too. Also nitrogen fixers?

[@nabeelkhalid2346]

She picked her nose on Camera!

[@igostupidfast3]

You should do the Kratom plant (Mitragyna Speciosa), and Iboga.

[@PratikManecooldude]

It has fully covered my 5feet tank surface. 😅

[@user-zw5jj2uf1p]

Gather it, eat it Gather it, process it, eat it Gather it, process it, start a fuel business and a vegetarian restaurant

[@PratikManecooldude]

@@user-zw5jj2uf1p Thanks for this brilliant idea 💡 once I start my business I hope you will pay me a visit