Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lagenandra meeboldii
(Engl.) C.E.C.Fisch.
10–20 cm
Height in the aquarium
medium to high
Light
low
CO₂ needs
22–26 °C
Ideal temperature
Water parameters
Understand these values- Position
- midground
- Propagation
- rhizome division, separating offshoots
- Uses
- colour accent, specimen plant
- Grows emersed
- yes
In the wild
Overview
An aroid from southwestern India, related to the crypts, that grows on the shaded, marshy banks of rivers in Kerala and Karnataka, up to 1,200 m above sea level. It is often out of the water and becomes submerged when the rivers rise during the monsoon.
The species is very variable: the red form grown in Europe has oval leaves with a slightly heart-shaped base, reddish brown to pink; other forms are green or have longer leaves. These plants were long kept only in paludariums, until it turned out that the red form also grows fully submerged.
- Scientific name
- Lagenandra meeboldii (Engl.) C.E.C.Fisch.
- Classification
- Alismatales › Araceae
- IUCN Red List
- Not evaluated (NE)
Natural habitat
Southwestern India (Kerala, Karnataka): shaded, marshy banks of Western Ghats rivers
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
- Native countries
- Introduced by people
No introduction reported outside its native range.
Countries: Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP). Dots: GBIF observations in the native countries.
In the aquarium
Growing in the aquarium
Slow but easy, it needs medium to strong light, soft to moderately hard water (pH 6 to 7.5) between 22 and 26 °C, and a rich substrate; CO₂ helps it keep its colours. Place it in the midground or as a specimen plant.
It is propagated by dividing the rhizome or separating offshoots; it also grows very well out of the water, in a paludarium.
Sources:Flowgrow GBIF POWO (Kew) · Base map: Natural Earth