Photo: Monarchatto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Red root floater
Phyllanthus fluitans Benth. ex Müll.Arg.
3–5 cm
Height in the aquarium
medium to high
Light
low
CO₂ needs
24–28 °C
Ideal temperature
Water parameters
Understand these values- Position
- floating
- Propagation
- fragmentation, cuttings, separating offshoots
- Grows emersed
- yes
In the wild
Overview
The round, water-repellent leaves float above small tufts of red roots. This plant from tropical America may recall a Salvinia, but bears only one leaf per node. The stronger the light, the more the foliage can take on reddish-brown tones. Tiny white flowers sometimes appear.
- Scientific name
- Phyllanthus fluitans Benth. ex Müll.Arg.
- Classification
- Malpighiales › Phyllanthaceae
- IUCN Red List
- Not evaluated (NE)
Natural habitat
Central America, tropical South America
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Introduced in Rivers and lakes
- Native countries
- Introduced by people
Outside its native range, in 1 countries:
An aquarium plant must never reach the wild: throwing away cuttings or emptying a tank into a stream can be enough to establish it.
Countries: Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP). Dots: GBIF observations in the native countries.
In the aquarium
Growing in the aquarium
Keep nutrients available to support its growth. The colour varies with the lighting: a green batch is not necessarily another plant. The fragile stems easily break into fragments that let you propagate it. It can also be grown emersed on a very damp, rich substrate.
Sources:Flowgrow Tropica GBIF POWO (Kew) · Base map: Natural Earth