The variety that in the hobby and the trade is known simply as Blyxa japonica — the 'real' Japanese blyxa. Unlike var. alternifolia it forms an almost rosette-shaped clump without a long upright stem.
- Light
- medium
- Difficulty
- medium
- 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
The clump is almost rosette-shaped, without the long upright stem found in var. alternifolia; the seeds are smooth (in var. alternifolia they are unevenly spiny). It grows only underwater and does not form an emersed form — only small white flowers rise above the surface.
Keeping
Difficulty medium, growth moderate, light medium to strong, CO₂ 25–40 mg/l, temperature 20–28 °C. Propagation: seed, cuttings, division, separating daughter plants. It has been known for a long time but became popular only recently — light and CO₂ requirements became easy to meet, and its grassy, bushy habit suited the nature-style aquarium: it is now one of the 'standard' plants of aquascaping.
Placement
Midground, foreground in a group.
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