A variety of Blyxa japonica with a distinct long upright stem — unlike the bushy, almost rosette-forming var. japonica. Rare in the hobby and harder to keep than the species.
- Light
- medium
- Difficulty
- difficult
- Height
- 10 – 20 cm (3.9 – 7.9 in)
- Temperature
- 16 – 32 °C (61 – 90 °F)
Native rangeRange on the map
- Assam
- Bangladesh
- Borneo
- Cambodia
- China South-Central
- China Southeast
- Hainan
- India
- Japan
- Korea
- Malaya
- Manchuria
- Myanmar
- Nansei-shoto
- Nepal
- New Guinea
- Sulawesi
- Sumatera
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Vietnam
Tank conditions
- Leaf colour
- green, red +1 green, red, bronze or brown
- Plant type
- stem plant
- Growth rate
- medium
- CO₂ demand
- medium
- Tolerates light
- medium – high
- pH
- 5 – 6
- Carbonate hardness
- 0 – 7 °dKH
- General hardness
- 0 – 30 °dGH
- Placement
- background, midground +1 background, midground, foreground
- Propagation
- cuttings, seeds, division +1 cuttings, seeds, division, daughter plants
- Grows emersed
- no
Care and keeping
Appearance
Unlike the bushy, almost rosette-forming var. japonica, it forms a distinct long upright stem. Botanically the varieties are told apart by seed surface: in var. alternifolia it is unevenly spiny, in var. japonica it is smooth. The variety's range is small, in the centre of Southeast Asia, whereas var. japonica is much more widespread.
Keeping
Harder to keep than the species (difficult versus medium). Growth fast, light strong, CO₂ 25–40 mg/l, temperature 20–28 °C. Propagated by cuttings.
Placement
Background and midground.
Trade names
It occasionally appears in the trade under the name 'Blyxa alternifolia'. It seems that var. recurvifolia is more often sold under this name — with upright stems and stiffish, backward-curved leaves ranging from light green to intense red. Whether a true variety is among the 'alternifolia' on sale is unclear.
Fish and this plant
Water conditions match
The water suits 343 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.
Hypsolebias picturatusGeophagus BrokopondoBoraras naevusFestivum cichlidBetta unimaculataHummingbird TetraAphyosemion mimbonSix-banded BarbCallistusLadigesia roloffiBetta hendraAphyosemion scheeliReticulated BarbYellow TetraTrinidad TetraAnchor CatfishBetta persephoneJae BarbButterfly BarbMarbled WhiptailDwarf otoBetta mandorDwarf BotiaKuhli Loach
Will eat this plant
These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.
Will uproot it
These species dig through the substrate and pull rooted plants out.
Peacock EelForktail LoachPainted PlecoGeophagus altifronsGeophagus winemilleri
Matching water does not mean the fish will leave the plant alone.
Scientific and other names, conservation status
- Other scientific names
- Hydrilla alternifolia Miq., Blyxa alternifolia (Miq.) Hartog, Blyxa leiocarpa, Hydrilla japonica
- Blyxa japonica
- (Miq.) Maxim. ex Asch. & Gurke
- Family
- Hydrocharitaceae
- Conservation status
- LC