Leaf colourgreen, pink or purple
Native range
- Afghanistan
- Assam
- Bangladesh
- China South-Central
- China Southeast
- East Himalaya
- India
- Malaya
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- West Himalaya
stem plant background midground Conservation status: LC
A selected form of the dwarf hygrophila (Hygrophila polysperma), sold for years under the label 'Big leaf'; underwater it grows very fast and looks much like the ordinary species, with a brownish tint to the leaves in good light.
- Light
- low–high
- Difficulty
- very easy
- Temperature
- 4 – 35 °C
Parameters
Plant typestem plant
Growth ratevery fast
Tolerates lightlow – high
pH5 – 8
Carbonate hardness2 – 21 °dKH
General hardness0 – 30 °dGH
Placementbackground, midground
Propagationcuttings
Grows emersedyes
Appearance
Above water it is relatively compact: short internodes, sturdy stems. Underwater it is relatively large and grows very fast; in good light the underwater leaves have a brownish tint. A few years ago it was mistaken for a Staurogyne and presented in the literature as an 'upright Staurogyne sp.'.
Keeping
As for the species: very easy, growth very fast, light from weak to strong, CO₂ 5–40 mg/l, temperature 22–28 °C.
Placement
The background and midground.
Trade names
It can be told apart from Staurogyne repens like this: Staurogyne has densely hairy above-water stems, both creeping and upright shoots underwater, grows slowly, and its young leaves stay light green even in strong light. 'Big leaf' has bare, glossy stems with hairs only at the nodes, only upright shoots underwater, very fast growth, and young leaves that turn reddish-brown in good light; its leaves contain cystoliths — small translucent streaks visible under a loupe held up to the light.
Fish and this plant
Water conditions match
The water suits 1008 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.
Swordtail GuppiesCobra GuppyBlood Red MollyButterflyfishRed Zebra CichlidJulii CorydorasRed-finned ParotocinclusGastromyzon monticolaEgg-shaped GoldfishFlame TetraGardner's KillifishAfrican TetraKenyi CichlidCuckoo CatfishGolden SwordtailHypsolebias picturatusCommon ZaccoLabeo BicolorGambusiaFlying barbGastromyzon scitulusAlbino Zebra DanioGeophagus BrokopondoZebra Mbuna
Will eat this plant
These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.
Bengal LoachZebra LoachBurmese Border LoachEmperor BotiaSpined LoachMarbled HeadstanderPellegrin's LeporinusLeporinus striatusFalse Black TetraCommon MetynnisMylossoma duriventreRed Whiptail CatfishMolly sphenopsBalloon MollyLyretail MollyMarble MollyHi-Fin PlatyHawaii PlatyBlue PlatyPintail PlatyBlack PlatyChocolate MollyMoonlight GouramiMelanotaenia parva
Will uproot it
These species dig through the substrate and pull rooted plants out.
Marble LoachPeacock EelForktail LoachGuntea LoachLong-nosed LoachHorseface LoachPearlscaleBlack Moor GoldfishShubunkinPainted PlecoFeatherfin SynodontisReddish Mystus CatfishBlue AcaraAulonocara maylandiAulonocara multicolorAulonocara OrchidGeophagus altifronsGeophagus winemilleriPearlscale CichlidPearl CichlidRedbelly CichlidRed-spotted CichlidChuco godmanniHaplochromis philanderRed ChromideJack Dempsey cichlid