Bacopa lanigera

Also known as Hairy bacopa, Woolly bacopa, Herpestis lanigera

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Bacopa lanigera (Bacopa lanigera) — Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light: High light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 68–82°F; 20–28°C
Max height: 11.8 in; 30 cm

Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Background
Type: Stem
pH: 5.0–7.5
Hardness: 2–12 dGH
Spread: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Medium
Family: Plantaginaceae
Origin: Brazil, South America

Overview

Bacopa lanigera is a less common stem plant for the background. It stays a fresh light green underwater and takes some care to grow well.

Did you know

Above the waterline, the stems of Bacopa lanigera are cloaked in fine white wool. That fuzzy coat vanishes on the smooth shoots it grows once it is underwater.

Caring for Bacopa lanigera

Strip the lower leaves and plant the stems one at a time in a nutrient-rich substrate, so they root well. Bacopa lanigera feeds through its roots and the water, so use root tabs along with a liquid fertilizer.

It does best with bright lighting, and in weak light the stems stretch and drop their lower leaves. Strong light also brings warmer tones into its fresh green. It grows without CO2, but injection plus regular macro and micro dosing gives faster, denser growth. Keep it at 68 to 82°F (20 to 28°C).

It grows at a moderate pace. Trim and replant the tops to encourage branching into a fuller group, and plant side shoots once they have a few leaves.

Good to know

The species name lanigera means wool-bearing. Bacopa lanigera sits in Plantaginaceae, the family that now holds Bacopa, Hygrophila and many other aquarium stems after the old Scrophulariaceae was broken up. It can be told apart from B. caroliniana by its slightly rounder leaves and its hairy stem.

In the wild

Bacopa lanigera comes from Brazil, where it grows in the wet, boggy ground and shallow water of tropical South American wetlands. Like other Bacopa it is amphibious, spending much of the year emersed on damp soil and going underwater when the ground floods. It closely resembles the far more common Bacopa caroliniana in habit and habitat.

Common questions

Does Bacopa lanigera need to be planted in the substrate?

Yes. Strip the leaves from the lower part of each stem, then push the stems into the substrate one at a time, a little apart.

Does Bacopa lanigera need CO2?

No, but it helps. Bacopa lanigera can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does Bacopa lanigera need?

Bacopa lanigera needs high light from a strong planted-tank LED. In weaker light its stems stretch and drop their lower leaves.

Does Bacopa lanigera need root tabs?

They help. Bacopa lanigera takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.

How do you propagate Bacopa lanigera?

Bacopa lanigera propagates by cuttings and side shoots. Cut off the top of a stem and replant it, and the stump left behind grows new shoots. Cut a side shoot off once it has a few leaves and plant it on its own.