# Watersprite vs Indian Fern vs Wisteria



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Carpet-Pond said:


> Watersprite and Wisteria look identical to me at first glance


I can't really agree with this one. Maybe as a horticulturist my eye looks at things a little differently. But Water Sprite looks to me like a typical fern plant, leaves all emerging like little worms from a common center. Wisteria on the other hand is a typical stem plant. Water Sprite, like other ferns, grows little adventitious plants on its older leaves. And it does grow very well floating. Can't say the same about Wisteria.


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## Carpet-Pond (Aug 9, 2003)

Thanks for pointing that out. Viewing them side by side, I can definitely make out the differences. To a lay person like myself, they can be very easily confused. Especially when you use a method of identification that is to glance at shapes and colors rather than to look more closely at the size, stem etc. The similarities in nature (and from nature) are very interesting to me.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Not to mention the fact that if you take either one of those and grow them in different conditions you can get very different looks. I have grown both varieties in different light, high with CO2, and low without and let me tell ya, you will swear they are the same at times. 
Wysteria in low end light will get very broad dark green leaves and larger stems whereas in high light it will tighten up and get a bright green look like WS. 
The same goes for WS in different lighting, the same plant can look like two different types. :icon_bigg 
They can still be told apart but like you say...if you dont know what you are looking at you could confuse them.
They are both quite amazing plants but dang if they dont grow too fast ! Great plant for cycling a new tank also :wink:


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## StevieD (Jun 17, 2017)

One of the very first plants I had many years ago was Ceratopteris cornuta (What I was told was Indian Fern)Over many years I have asked for it at every store I have visited, and I have never been able to find the broad leaved version. Each and every time I have heard "oh yes I can get that for you" and it is not the plant I remembered. Having googled it I can see where the confusion and similarities lie but actually getting the one I wanted has been impossible. Most frustrating!


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