American spongeplant

These plants grow well in sun or in partial shade. Usually they tolerate more sun and heat if given enough moisture; in partial or light shade they need less moisture.

Herbaceous plants are not woody. Their stems are soft, usually remaining green. With some herabceous older stems may harden and look like woody stems (e. g. bamboo).

Leaves or needles remain on the plant throughout the winter and fall down in spring when new ones emerge. Part of leaves or needles may fall already in autumn or winter. The falling off depends on winter temperature, so some plants are evergreen in mild winter, yet decidous in cold winter

Plant can in otherwise appropriate environment survive cold down to - 23 °C.

Standing or running water, sites for true water plants. Water plants can be either attached to ground or free floating, submerged or floating on surface. They cannot tolerate drought, even with muchwatering they cannot grow in a garden bed for a long time. Some water plants may grow partly (or for some time, if water level drops) on land, where they develop different growth and different leaf shape.

Herbaceous, not woody plant. Stems and leaves may be evergreen or deciduous - thus regrowing every spring. Perennials may blossom consecutively for several years. Some perennials develop special underground organs - bulbs, corms or rootstocks and these species are treated separetelly, not with geophyte and tuberous plants.