Photo: Graf zu Pappenheim, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Amazon frogbit
Limnobium laevigatum (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Heine
3–5 cm
Height in the aquarium
medium to high
Light
low
CO₂ needs
20–27 °C
Ideal temperature
Water parameters
Understand these values- Position
- floating
- Propagation
- fragmentation, runners
- Grows emersed
- yes
In the wild
Overview
Its floating rosettes look like large duckweed and carry long roots that hang down into the tank. This Limnobium from Central and South America naturally lives in calm water. Its cover gives shifting shade and its roots can become part of the decor.
- Scientific name
- Hydrocharis laevigata Current valid name; in the hobby: Limnobium laevigatum
- Classification
- Alismatales › Hydrocharitaceae
- IUCN Red List
- Not evaluated (NE)
Natural habitat
Central America, Caribbean, tropical South America
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Introduced in Rivers and lakes
- Native countries
- Introduced by people
Outside its native range, in 17 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
Set aside an area of calm surface. Runners quickly produce young rosettes; remove the surplus so as not to rob the bottom of light. Good feeding supports growth. With plenty of light and humidity, emersed leaves may appear. Replacing it with another frogbit does not guarantee the same temperature needs.
Sources:Flowgrow Tropica GBIF POWO (Kew) · Base map: Natural Earth