Plants / Stem Plants
Stem Plants
Hygrophila polysperma
Hygrophila polysperma
Almost impossible to kill; great for beginners.
Check your local laws. US: Federal Noxious Weed (USDA APHIS, 7 CFR 360); also a state noxious weed in Alabama, California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Vermont (per APHIS 2015, citing GRIN). Florida: Class II Prohibited Aquatic Plant (F.A.C. 5B-64.011): may not be imported or collected from the wild; only licensed nurseries may culture it. EPPO: On the EPPO list of invasive alien plants (recommendation, not an EU ban). Never throw it into ponds, rivers or drains.
Needs
Care levelEasy
LightLow
CO₂Not needed
GrowthFast
HeightUp to 40 cm
Temperature22–28 °C
WhereBack of the tank
Feeds throughLeaves, from the water
FamilyAcanthaceae
Native toSouth and South-East Asia: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Himalaya (Nepal, Assam), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, southern China, Taiwan
How to keep it
- Any light
- Trim often
- Letting it overgrow
Sources
14 facts checked with sources
- Scientific namePlants of the World Online (Kew) name search: Hygrophila polysperma · Flowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila
- FamilycorrectedPlants of the World Online (Kew) name search: Hygrophila polysperma · Flowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila
- Native rangecorrectedPlants of the World Online (Kew): Hygrophila polysperma · USDA APHIS PPQ: Weed Risk Assessment for Hygrophila polysperma (2015)
- LightTropica: Hygrophila polysperma (050) · Flowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila
- CO₂Tropica: Hygrophila polysperma (050) · Flowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila
- GrowthFlowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila · Tropica: Hygrophila polysperma (050)
- Care levelTropica: Hygrophila polysperma (050) · Flowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila
- HeightcorrectedTropica: Hygrophila polysperma (050)
- TemperaturecorrectedFlowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila · USDA APHIS PPQ: Weed Risk Assessment for Hygrophila polysperma (2015)
- Where to plantFlowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila
- Water or land plantcorrectedUSDA APHIS PPQ: Weed Risk Assessment for Hygrophila polysperma (2015) · Flowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila
- AboutTropica: Hygrophila polysperma (050) · Flowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila
- Care tipsFlowgrow plant database: Hygrophila polysperma - Dwarf Hygrophila · Tropica: Hygrophila polysperma (050)
- LawscorrectedUSDA APHIS: Outlawed! Federal Noxious Weeds: The Aquatics (Program Aid 1688) · USDA APHIS PPQ: Weed Risk Assessment for Hygrophila polysperma (2015) · Fla. Admin. Code R. 5B-64.011 Prohibited Aquatic Plants
Good with
Animals that leave it alone
