Hygrophila polysperma ''Ceylon''

Hygrophila polysperma

A narrow-leaved form of the dwarf hygrophila (Hygrophila polysperma) native to Sri Lanka, in cultivation since 1977; with enough iron the leaves take on a handsome copper tone.

Light: low–high
Difficulty: very easy
Temperature: 4 – 35 °C (39 – 95 °F)

Leaf colour: green, pink or purple
Plant type: stem plant
Growth rate: very fast
Tolerates light: low – high
pH: 5 – 8
Carbonate hardness: 2 – 21 °dKH
General hardness: 0 – 30 °dGH
Placement: background, midground
Propagation: cuttings
Grows emersed: yes

Appearance

The narrow, long leaves give a contrast to many other plants. It tends to grow 'leggy' and takes some effort to keep in shape in a layout; midground and background.

Keeping

As for the species: very easy, growth very fast, light from weak to strong, CO₂ 5–40 mg/l, temperature 22–28 °C. It also grows under weak light without CO₂ — then more slowly, and so easier to keep. With enough iron the leaves take on a copper tone. With its mass of side shoots and rapid growth it spreads quickly; such growth can upset the nutrient balance — worth allowing for in a fertilising schedule.

Trade names

It was first sold under the name H. polysperma 'rot' (German for 'red').

Water conditions match

The water suits 1008 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 Spined Loach 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.

Scientific and other names, conservation status

Other scientific names: Adenosma polysperma (Roxburgh) Sprengel, Hemiadelphis polysperma (Roxburgh) Nees, Justicia polysperma Roxburgh, Adenosma polysperma, Hemiadelphis polysperma, Hemiadelphis polysperma joshiana, Hemiadelphis polyspermus joshianus, Hemigraphis tonkinensis, Hygrophila polysperma albiflora, Justicia polysperma, Ruellia polysperma, Ruellia uliginosa
Hygrophila polysperma: (Roxb.) T.Anderson
Family: Acanthaceae
Conservation status: LC