Salvinia cucullata "Asian Watermoss"--or is it?

AshK

Muffin MIX NAO
Jun 24, 2008
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0
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California, PA
I got this plant as a freebie and it is a head scratcher. Mine is growing well, but looks wholly unlike any other salvinia cucullata pictures online. Here's a picture the day I got it:
photo-1.JPG
Here's a picture approx. 1 1/2 weeks later:
image.jpeg

In the picture are the three "mats" , they are not easily separated into the individual leaves/plantlets and when I attempted to do so, the separated pieces died. So it just grows in these mats and has 3-4" long dark green roots. Is this plant salvinia cucullata? Why does it grow in these weird mats? Should I separate the individual leaves/plantlets?

photo-1.JPG image.jpeg
 
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