Photo: Chris Penny, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dwarf hairgrass
Eleocharis acicularis (L.) Roem. & Schult.
10–15 cm
Height in the aquarium
medium to high
Light
low
CO₂ needs
20–25 °C
Ideal temperature
Water parameters
Understand these values- Position
- midground, foreground
- Propagation
- runners, separating offshoots
- Uses
- nano tank, carpet
- Grows emersed
- yes
In the wild
Overview
A small sedge with hair-thin leaves, called “dwarf hairgrass” in English. It grows on pond edges and in shallow water almost everywhere in the world, central Europe included, and is also sold as a pond plant.
Underwater it forms tufts of upright, mid-green leaves 10 to 20 cm long. Eleocharis pusilla, often sold as “E. parvula”, looks like it but stays lower (5 cm), paler and has curved leaves.
- Scientific name
- Eleocharis acicularis (L.) Roem. & Schult.
- Classification
- Poales › Cyperaceae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Almost worldwide: pond edges and shallow water in Europe, Asia, North Africa, the Americas and Australia
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Introduced in Rivers and lakes
- Native countries
- Introduced by people
Outside its native range, in 3 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
It thrives in almost any aquarium, as long as it has room and light, with no plants shading it. After planting, its runners spread over the substrate and form a dense lawn 6 to 15 cm high according to Tropica. It prefers soft to moderately hard water that is not too warm.
If the carpet grows too tall, trim it carefully with scissors. To propagate it, separate tufts and replant them further along.
Sources:Flowgrow Tropica GBIF POWO (Kew) · Base map: Natural Earth