TankBud

Brookweed

Samolus valerandi

Also known as Seaside brookweed, Water cabbage, Water pimpernel, Thin-leaf brookweed

FreshwaterBrackishRosetteDivisionSeeds

Brookweed (Samolus valerandi)
Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
59–79°F
15–26°C
Max height
5.9 in
15 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Foreground
Type
Rosette
pH
6.5–8.0
Hardness
6–20 dGH
Spread
5.9 in (15 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root feeder
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Difficult
Family
Primulaceae
Origin
Native to damp, often calcareous or coastal ground across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.

Overview

Brookweed is a slow-growing rosette plant for the foreground. It rates difficult as a fully submerged plant.

Did you know

Brookweed is one of the very few members of the primrose family that tolerates salt. That is why it turns up in coastal marshes and in brackish biotope tanks.

Caring for brookweed

Plant brookweed in the foreground with the roots buried and the crown just above the substrate. It feeds through its roots, so give it a nutrient-rich substrate or root tabs.

It needs high light, and added CO2 speeds its slow growth. Keep the water at 59 to 79°F (15 to 26°C), since it needs cool water to hold up as a submerged plant. It handles hard water and even slightly brackish water, with a pH of 6.5 to 8.

Brookweed grows slowly, and it may only last a limited time fully submerged. Split a large clump into smaller ones and plant them separately to propagate it. It also grows from seed.

Good to know

Brookweed, Samolus valerandi, belongs to the primrose family, Primulaceae. Underwater it forms a low rosette of spoon-shaped, light green leaves. In shallow water or on damp ground it sends up a stem with small white flowers. The species can grow as a land plant, a marsh plant or fully submerged.

In the wild

Brookweed has an unusually wide natural range that spans several continents, across Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. It favors damp, mineral-rich and often coastal soils.

Common questions

Does brookweed need to be planted in the substrate?

Yes. Bury the roots and leave the crown, where the leaves join, just above the substrate.

Does brookweed need CO2?

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

How much light does brookweed need?

Brookweed needs high light from a strong planted-tank LED.

Does brookweed need root tabs?

Yes. Brookweed draws much of its food through its roots. Push root tabs in near it, or grow it in a nutrient-rich soil.

How do you propagate brookweed?

Brookweed propagates by division. Split a large clump into smaller ones and plant them separately.

How tall does brookweed grow?

Brookweed grows to about 5.9 in (15 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.

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