Cultivated form (nursery selection, no wild range)
Overview
Variegated moneywort is a marbled stem plant for the midground or background, where its pale patterning stands out against darker greens. It is an easy plant for beginners.
Did you know
Variegated moneywort can flower when its stems grow out of the water in an open-top tank or paludarium. Buce Plant and Glass Aqua both describe small pink and white blossoms.
Caring for Variegated moneywort
Strip the lower leaves and plant the stems one at a time, a little apart. Variegated moneywort feeds through its roots and the water, so a rich substrate or root tabs plus a liquid fertilizer suit it.
Give it a little more light than plain moneywort, since weak light slows growth and fades the marbling. Glass Aqua warns that stems kept too dim can rot. It needs no added CO2, though Buce Plant notes that CO2 speeds growth. Aquatic Arts says it does well in low-tech tanks when the substrate is rich and the light is bright.
Keep it at 64 to 82°F (18 to 28°C), and it even tolerates brackish water. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming. If a shoot comes up all green, cut it out at the base to keep the group marbled. Propagate it from top cuttings or side shoots.
Good to know
Variegated moneywort is a sport of Bacopa monnieri in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. Its thick, fleshy oval leaves are lime green marbled with cream to white, where plain moneywort is solid green. A single stem can carry plain green leaves among the marbled ones. Lindernia rotundifolia 'Variegated' has white veins on small round leaves, while this Bacopa has larger, succulent leaves.
In the wild
Variegated moneywort is a cultivated sport with no wild range. Aquatic Arts sells it as tissue culture, and shops such as Planted Aquaria and Wet Spot sell potted or bare-root stems. Its species, Bacopa monnieri, grows along lake shores, riverbanks and pond edges in warm regions worldwide. That includes slightly salty ground by the sea.
Common questions
Is Variegated moneywort a different species from moneywort?
No. Variegated moneywort is a form of moneywort, Bacopa monnieri, and it is grown the same way as the species.
Does Variegated moneywort 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 Variegated moneywort need CO2?
No. Variegated moneywort grows well without added CO2.
How much light does Variegated moneywort need?
Variegated moneywort wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.
Does Variegated moneywort need root tabs?
They help. Variegated moneywort takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.
How do you propagate Variegated moneywort?
Variegated moneywort 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.
How tall does Variegated moneywort grow?
Variegated moneywort grows to about 11.8 in (30 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.
High lightBackground11.8 in (30 cm)
Low lightBackground15.7 in (40 cm)
High lightMidground11.8 in (30 cm)
High lightMidground11.8 in (30 cm)
High lightMidground11.8 in (30 cm)
Medium lightMidground15.7 in (40 cm)