Banana plant
Nymphoides aquatica
Also known as Banana plant, banana lily, banana floatingheart, big floatingheart, Nymphoides lacunosa
Care at a glance
- Light
- Medium light
- CO2
- No CO₂ needed
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Placement
- Foreground
- Type
- Bulb / tuber
- Temperature
- 68–82°F (20–28°C)
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Hardness
- 4–12 dGH
- Max height
- 5.9 in (15 cm)
- Spread
- 5.9 in (15 cm)
- Nutrient uptake
- Root + water column
- Growth region
- Submersed or emersed
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Origin
- Southeastern United States (Texas to Maryland, especially Florida)
- Family
- Menyanthaceae
Overview
Rest the cluster of banana tubers on top of the substrate or bury only the bottom third, since burying them fully causes them to rot. New roots emerge from the stem and anchor the plant on their own, so there is no need to push the tubers down. It is undemanding, tolerating low to high light with no CO2 needed, though brighter light speeds growth. Under strong light it will send long stalks up to the surface and form floating lily pads, which some aquarists trim back to keep it compact as a foreground or midground specimen.
In the wild
Native to the southeastern United States from Texas up to Maryland, and especially common in Florida, where it grows in calm, slow-moving rivers, lakes and ponds. It is named for the cluster of thick, banana-shaped storage tubers that sit at the base of the plant near the substrate.
Good to know
It is a member of the bogbean family Menyanthaceae, not the true water lilies, and is also called big floatingheart. In the wild it eventually sends up rounded floating pads on long stalks and produces small white five-petalled flowers at the surface. The banana-shaped structures are nutrient-storage tubers, while the actual feeding roots are thin and grow from the stem base.
Did you know
Did you know the banana-shaped 'roots' are not roots at all but swollen storage tubers, and if you bury them in the substrate they simply rot away.
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
- Glass Aqua Aquascaping plants and planted tank supplies
- Buce Plant Aquatic plants and aquascaping supplies
- Aquarium Co-Op Live plants and dependable gear for community tanks
- Aquarium Plants Factory Aquatic plants shipped from a California greenhouse
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
No-CO2 plants · Foreground plants · Bulb plants · Beginner plants
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