TankBud

Creeping bacopa

Bacopa australis

Also known as Southern bacopa, Bacopa sp. 'Australis', Creeping water hyssop

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Creeping bacopa (Bacopa australis)
Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
No CO₂ needed
Temperature
64–82°F
18–28°C
Max height
7.9 in
20 cm
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Midground
Type
Stem
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
2–15 dGH
Spread
3.9 in (10 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Plantaginaceae
Origin
Native to marshes and pond edges in subtropical southern Brazil and Uruguay.

Overview

Creeping bacopa is undemanding and grows without CO2 in medium light, though it stays lowest and densest under bright light. It works in the midground or, with strong light, as a loose foreground carpet. Trim it regularly so the mat does not get so thick that the lower stems die back.

In the wild

Bacopa australis has small, rounded light green leaves on thin stems that grow horizontally under good light. In the wild it creeps across damp ground and shallow margins, rooting as it spreads. Under bright light it stays low and dense enough to form a loose carpet.

Good to know

Bacopa australis is a member of the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. The species name australis means southern, a nod to its subtropical South American range. It is one of the few Bacopa species that grows horizontally rather than straight up.

Did you know

Unlike most stem plants that shoot straight up, this one creeps sideways under bright light and can be trained into a low, mossy carpet.

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