Limnophila repens var. ‘Mini’ is real name for what has been circulating throughout the hobby as simply Limnophila sp. ‘Mini’. It’s a very nice plant submersed, with smaller leaves than L. aromatica with a different coloring, and probably a more vigorous grower. Emersed, the two plants look fairly similar, exhibiting typical leaf shapes and flower forms for Limnophilas.

The flower is a nice soft purple color, rising from the stem. As you can see above, flowers can appear at every node. Both submersed and emersed, the leaves have a serrated edge, and a noticably pleasant peppery smell. It is actually kind of a peppery rosemary smell, which is distinctly different from L. aromatica’s scent.

I do have to admit that I did not flower this plant, but I helped a friend from GWAPA take some pictures of these plants. Nevertheless, I’m always excited when aquatic plants flower!

Hygrophila sp. ‘Guinea’ is a new plant to the hobby that I’m growing in my 75G aquarium. This particular species of Hygrophila is a larger sized plant, but the leaves are uniquely feathered, so I feel it can be used in spots where other similarly sized plants would be inappropriate. Thus, it should be a very nice plant  to soften and break up the common leaf patterns used in many aquascapes.

The plant remains a nice bright green color, even under high light and favorable dosing conditions. Hygrophila sp. ‘Guinea’ is a much slower grower than other plants in the Hygrophila genus, which is a good thing in my opinion. The stem is rather thick, and the leaves all appear to point upward from the stem toward the surface.

Hygrophila sp. ‘Guinea’ is still quite rare in the U.S., but it is available occasionally through the hobbyist community. If you can find it, it’s a new plant that’s worth trying.

I was first introduced to Utricularia gibba at a GWAPA meeting when another member asked the host for a pair of tweezers, and promptly began to remove a few strands from their tank. Utricularia gibba is often mistaken for algae due to its similar appearance, but it is actually a carnivorous plant that survives by trapping tiny microorganisms in its bladders. At least, if you have ever had an algae outbreak, you could take solace that with proper attention, the tank could relatively easily be made algae-free. Unfortunately, if you find Utricularia gibba in your tank, you’re not so fortunate.

This plant thrives in the same conditions that your other plants do, so your only recourse is to manually remove thread after thread with a pair of tweezers. The most common way that a tank becomes infected is when Utricularia gibba hitch-hikes on some other plant that you introduce into your aquarium.

Utricularia gibba Bladders

From there, it’s just a matter of time before the bladder-ridden threads wind themselves in amongst the stems of your beautiful plants. You may actually wish to have this plant in outdoor water gardens, however, as Utricularia gibba does produce a pretty yellow flower above the surface.

Utricularia gibba Bladder

Fortunately, I’ve never had a huge problem with this plant. I’ve introduced it to a couple of my tanks in the past, but luckily was able to contain and rectify the situation shortly thereafter. So, keep an eye out for Utricularia gibba whenever you add new plants to your aquarium.

Rotala verticillaris is one of the newer Rotala species entering the hobby from Asia, which coincidentally is also one of the prettiest plants coming in as of late. Believe it or not, but Rotala verticillaris is actually the reference species for the Rotala genus. It’s amazing how diverse this particular group of plants can be when compared to the more common Rotala rotundifolia or some of the other more delicate species. Rotala verticillaris has a thicker stem and branches very tightly, but unlike some others it grows nearly vertical, which make stands of the plant extremely orderly and well positioned.

Also different about Rotala verticillaris is its flower, which resembles something more of a Pogostemon species, than some of the other Rotalas. The flower is, however, quite beautiful exhibiting a striking purple with featherly fronds coming off. Below is a picture of my friend Cavan’s flowering plant.

In the aquarium, Rotala verticillaris is not as undemanding as Rotala rotundifolia, as it should require medium/high light plus CO2 injection. Of course, like all plants, it will benefit greatly from a rich substrate and addition fertilization. It is also not as fast a grower as other Rotala species, which in my opinion is a positive thing. I highly recommend this plant for use in any style of aquascape, but it is more perfectly suited to aquascapes with fine leafed and well manicured background stem plants.

While at the reservoir last week, I spotted countless stems of Rotala ramosior growing emersed all throughout the dried lake bed. Out in the full sun, the plants were all a deep red color, with many flower buds along their stems. The flowers of Rotala ramosior, often called Tooth-Cup or Lowland Rotala, are small white flowers, that grow in large numbers along the stem.

Within a day or two of putting a few stems in my 40G aquarium, the plants began converting to submersed form, throwing out new green leaves. They also began side-shooting, forming side stems from the main trunk, also with green leaves. The leaves of Rotala ramosior have a very distinct vein down the center of the leaf, from tip to stem. The other veins are not nearly as prominent as the main central one.

Being native to over 90% of the states in the U.S., it’s amazing that Rotala ramosior is not more common in the hobby. It grows well, creates a nice bush like most Rotala species, and is attractive. I’m looking forward to growing it out further, and adding it to my collection.

Proserpinaca palustris is a plant that I have long sought after, but only have recently started growing. The funny thing is that it’s actually a native plant where I live, but it’s not a plant that’s often kept by aquarists. The most interesting thing about this medium difficulty plant is the vast difference between its emersed and aquatic forms.

Emersed, the plant exhibits leaves that look a little bit like rosemary, except with serrated edges. Submerged, however, Proserpinaca palustris looks like a totally different plant. The leaves are saw-toothed, being much more ornate than your typical Myriophyllum or Ambulia.

Under intense light, these leaves can actually turn bright red. Proserpinaca palustris should grow under most conditions, but the bottom most leaves will melt away except until moderate light conditions. The advantage I see in Mermaid Weed compared to Ambulia or Myriophyllum is that it grows much slower, while the others tend to overtake your tank. I’m really enjoying this plant, and hope to use it extensively in one of my future aquascapes.

Hygrophila difformis var. ‘variegated’ is a new variety of Water Wisteria that grows similarly, but has white veins, giving it a nice variegated look. Just like regular Wisteria, this plant can easily outgrow the space that you allot for it, but if you’re looking for a plant to fill out the corner of your aquascape it might be just what you’re looking for.

One thing to notice is that not all of the leaves exhibit equal variegation. Some contrast quite significantly, while others are hard to differentiate from a regular wisteria leaf. This can occur on leaves along the same stem, even.

Overall, Hygrophila difformis var. ‘variegated’, it’s a fast grower, a nitrate suck, but most importantly, a pretty plant.

Update: I learned today that this variegation is caused by a virus affecting the chlorophyll in the veins, and can be exemplified by low nitrates. Don’t worry, the virus is self-contained, and causes no danger to this or other plants.

I wanted to share a picture of one of the new plants my wife brought back for me from AquaForest in San Francisco, CA. Sold as Limnophila sp. ‘Needle Leaf’, I would not be at all surprised to find out that this is a variant of Limnophila aquatica, as it grows equally as fast. The main difference is that while L. aquatica stays green, this particular species is a brownish/red color.

As noted, the growth is extremely fast, and I suspect it’s forming strong root systems and runners in my rich earthworm castings based substrate. The plant readily branches by itself, but I’m not sure how good of an aquascaping plant this could be, as it’s just not that compact and shoots to the surface. Perhaps it could be used effectively as an accent plant, but frequent trimming will be required.

I got Limnophila sp. ‘Mini’ a couple months ago from another hobbyist. This is another plant that’s pretty new to the hobby. I’ve been a long time fan of Limnophila aromatica, and the ‘Mini’ variety shares some resemblances to that plant. They both have serrated edges on their leaves, and both turn a beautiful bronze to purple color, depending on the nitrates in the tank.

I’ve kept Limnophila sp. ‘Mini’ in my 40G tank with the earthworm castings substrate. The growth has been slow, but steady, and the plant is absolutely gorgeous. It’s in the back of the tank, surrounded by other plants, so it was hard to get a good picture. I suspect that if I put it in a tank with daily fertilization, that it would grow much faster. There aren’t as many leaves per node as L. aromatica, and the leaves themselves are slightly smaller. I am really looking forward to having a sizable quantity of this plant, so that it can be a big part of a future aquascape. I think Limnophila sp. ‘Mini’ has quite a bit of aquascaping potential! Definitely try it, if you find it available.

Hygrophila sp. ‘Porto Vehlo’ is one of the latest species entering the hobby. Unlike most Hygrophilas, Porto Vehlo creeps horizontally along the the substrate, rather that growing vertically toward the light. This make it appropriate as a foreground plant in larger tanks, and midground for smaller aquascapes.

It will creep along, growing over some portions of your hardscape, which means that you will eventually have to trim it to keep it from turning into a monster. As it grows, it puts down roots into the substrate. The plant seems to be pretty hardy. I kept in my 75G aquarium, shaded and ignored for awhile, and although it didn’t look pretty, it hung on.

In my earthworm castings tank, it has been growing quite prolifically. The leaves on Hygrophila sp. ‘Porto Vehlo’ are attractive, with a visible vain running throughout each leaf. They will bronze up a little bit under high light, but will not get too red.

I generally avoid some of the Hygrophilas because they grow too fast and shade everything else out. I’m really enjoying Porto Vehlo, however, since it stays low to the ground. Like, Hygrophila sp. ‘Low Grow’, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not a Hygrophila at all. Whatever it is, I suggest you try it.