Bacopa madagascariensis

Care at a glance

Overview

A midground group stem that rewards a well-run tank more than most bacopas. Give it strong light and a full macro and micro fertiliser routine, because in lean tanks it stunts and deforms new leaves; soft, acidic water suits it best. CO2 is not mandatory but clearly speeds up otherwise measured growth. Trim the tops regularly so light reaches the lower stem, and replant the cuttings to build a denser stand.

In the wild

A marsh plant from Madagascar, where it creeps over wet ground at the edges of standing and slow-moving water and grows submersed when its habitat floods. Emersed plants carry fleshy leaves with serrated edges, while the submersed form grows more upright and uniform with smooth-edged leaves. The water in its range is soft and acidic.

Good to know

A true species of Bacopa in the family Plantaginaceae, formerly placed in Scrophulariaceae like the rest of the genus. Nearly all the bacopas in the aquarium trade are American plants, so this Madagascan species is the geographic outlier of the group. It is stockier and slower than Bacopa caroliniana, with succulent leaves set in opposite pairs up a fairly rigid stem.

Did you know

Madagascar's contribution to the planted tank is almost entirely the Aponogeton bulbs, lace plant included. This bacopa is one of the island's very few stem plants in the hobby, which is why it looks familiar and exotic at the same time.

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