1. Gillyweed

Gillyweed (Giliac quatus)

Water Plant

Shade to Full Sun (5-7 cm)

Flower: none Foliage: Grey/Silver, Vivid Green

Features: Constant/Year Interest, allows for breathing underwater

Gillyweed has a slimy texture, and grows in bundles. Furthermore, Gillyweed belongs to a whole family of Giliac plants. In the last three years, the controversy over the length of time Gillyweed is able to function in salt water has not been resolved (recall that it works for about an hour in fresh water). There is some more research in the area, and the Extended Gillyroot Draught is a potion in which the properties of Gillyweed are utilized in a way that extends their effects.
Water Plants are some of the most interesting plants, I find. The Mediterranean is the most populous place for magical water plants, which is why the best book for learning about magical water plants is Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean by Hadrian Whittle. Magical Water Plants of the Highland Lochs is a good source by the same author; however, it is a much smaller volume than the Mediterranean edition.

You may be wondering just how water, or aquatic, plants manage to grow in water. First of all, aquatic plants actually grow faster than land plants do, because there is no limitations in regards to water. Often there is plenty of nutrients in the water, and the sides of certain lakes are angled in such a way that the nutrients from the soil are not washed downstream. The most common way for plants to be able to live in water is through an adaptation called aerenchyma, which is a tissue in the foliage of plants (or in the stems and roots) which is like a sponge. The tissue creates the ability for gases such as oxygen to move between the part of the plant that is above the water to that which is below the water.