Brookweed

Care at a glance

Overview

Brookweed grows slowly underwater and needs strong light, a nutrient-rich substrate, and cooler water below about 26 C to hold up as a submerged plant. It tolerates hard and even slightly brackish water, which suits coastal biotope tanks. Use it in the foreground and understand that it may only last a limited time fully submerged.

In the wild

Brookweed forms a low rosette of spoon-shaped, light green leaves when grown underwater. In shallow water or on damp ground it sends up a stem with small white flowers. It naturally favors damp, mineral-rich and often coastal soils.

Good to know

Samolus valerandi is a member of the primrose family, Primulaceae, and is one of very few salt-tolerant plants in that group. It has an unusually wide natural range spanning several continents. The species can grow as a land plant, a marsh plant, or fully submerged.

Did you know

It is one of the rare members of the primrose family that tolerates salt, which is why it turns up in coastal marshes and brackish biotope tanks.

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