Fragrant Hygrophila

Hygrophila odora

Thick stems with an unusual leaf shape, bright green under water and scented when grown above it. Simple in a marsh setup, more demanding in a tank.

Light: medium
Difficulty: medium
Height: 10 – 20 cm (3.9 – 7.9 in)
Temperature: 18 – 30 °C (64 – 86 °F)

Leaf colour: green
Plant type: stem plant
Growth rate: slow
CO₂ demand: medium
Tolerates light: medium – high
Carbonate hardness: 0 – 7 °dKH
Placement: background, midground
Propagation: cuttings
Grows emersed: yes

Appearance

Firm stems 10–20 cm tall with leaves that look like a cross between the two familiar hygrophilas — broad and lobed near the base, narrower toward the top. Above water the leaves are covered in short hairs and the plant produces pale bluish flowers.

Keeping

Moderate demands and slow growth under water, where it wants soft water, carbon dioxide and medium light to keep its shape. Grown above the water in a marsh or paludarium it is far easier and needs almost nothing.

Placement

The middle or back of the tank, in a group; or on the bank of a paludarium, where it does best.

Propagation

By cuttings: cut the top and plant it.

Water conditions match

The water suits 1016 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.

Swordtail Guppies Cobra Guppy Blood Red Molly Butterflyfish Red Zebra Cichlid Julii Corydoras Red-finned Parotocinclus Gastromyzon monticola Egg-shaped Goldfish Flame Tetra Gardner's Killifish African Tetra Kenyi Cichlid Cuckoo Catfish Golden Swordtail Hypsolebias picturatus Common Zacco Labeo Bicolor Gambusia Flying barb Gastromyzon scitulus Albino Zebra Danio Geophagus Brokopondo Zebra Mbuna

Will eat this plant

These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.

Bengal Loach Zebra Loach Burmese Border Loach Emperor Botia Marbled Headstander Pellegrin's Leporinus Leporinus striatus False Black Tetra Common Metynnis Mylossoma duriventre Red Whiptail Catfish Molly sphenops Balloon Molly Lyretail Molly Marble Molly Hi-Fin Platy Hawaii Platy Blue Platy Pintail Platy Black Platy Chocolate Molly Moonlight Gourami Melanotaenia parva

Will uproot it

These species dig through the substrate and pull rooted plants out.

Marble Loach Peacock Eel Forktail Loach Guntea Loach Long-nosed Loach Horseface Loach Pearlscale Black Moor Goldfish Shubunkin Painted Pleco Featherfin Synodontis Reddish Mystus Catfish Blue Acara Aulonocara maylandi Aulonocara multicolor Aulonocara Orchid Geophagus altifrons Geophagus winemilleri Pearlscale Cichlid Pearl Cichlid Redbelly Cichlid Red-spotted Cichlid Chuco godmanni Haplochromis philander Red Chromide Jack Dempsey cichlid

Matching water does not mean the fish will leave the plant alone.

The same plant with a different look: light, water and care are shared with the species.

Other varieties: Hygrophila odora ’Difformis’, Hygrophila odora 1 2 GROW

Scientific and other names, conservation status

Other scientific names: Polyechma odorum Nees, Hygrophila sp. ''Afrika'', Hygrophila sp. 'Guinea', Polyechma odorum
Hygrophila odora: (Nees) T. Anderson
Family: Acanthaceae
Conservation status: LC

Fragrant Hygrophila

Tank conditions

Care and keeping