TankBud

Eriocaulon buergerianum

Also known as Erio buergerianum

FreshwaterRosetteSide shoots

Eriocaulon buergerianum (Eriocaulon buergerianum)
(c) Cheng-Te Hsu, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ required
Temperature
68–79°F
20–26°C
Max height
3.1 in
8 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Foreground
Type
Rosette
pH
5.5–7.0
Hardness
0–6 dGH
Spread
3.1 in (8 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root feeder
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Difficult
Family
Eriocaulaceae
Origin
East Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea)

Overview

Eriocaulon buergerianum is an advanced-level rosette for the foreground of a soft-water tank.

Did you know

Eriocaulon buergerianum is a traditional Chinese medicine. Its dried flower heads are the herb gujingcao of the Chinese pharmacopoeia. They come from the same species aquascapers now buy as tissue culture.

Caring for Eriocaulon buergerianum

Plant Eriocaulon buergerianum in a nutrient-rich substrate with the crown just above the surface. Like other Eriocaulon, it feeds almost entirely through its large root system. Root tabs matter more than liquid dosing.

It needs strong light, steady injected CO2 and soft, acidic water. Keep the temperature at 68 to 79°F (20 to 26°C). Stability matters most, since a swing in parameters shows up as graying roots and lopsided growth before the rosette collapses.

It grows slowly. Healthy plants split naturally into daughter rosettes, which can be divided and replanted once each has roots of its own.

Good to know

Eriocaulon buergerianum is a pipewort in the family Eriocaulaceae. It is named for Heinrich Buerger, the 19th-century naturalist who collected in Japan alongside Philipp von Siebold. It forms a tidy, symmetrical rosette of narrow leaves. Grown emersed, it carries the genus's typical button flower heads on slender scapes.

In the wild

Eriocaulon buergerianum comes from East Asia, across southern China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. It grows in paddy fields, marshes and other shallow, seasonally wet ground. In nature it lives mostly emersed as a low rosette in wet soil, and the fully submersed plant is an aquarium convention.

Common questions

Does Eriocaulon buergerianum need to be planted in the substrate?

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

Does Eriocaulon buergerianum need CO2?

Yes. Eriocaulon buergerianum needs injected CO2 to grow well, and it usually struggles without it.

How much light does Eriocaulon buergerianum need?

Eriocaulon buergerianum needs high light from a strong planted-tank LED.

Does Eriocaulon buergerianum need root tabs?

Yes. Eriocaulon buergerianum 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 Eriocaulon buergerianum?

Eriocaulon buergerianum propagates by side shoots. Cut a side shoot off once it has a few leaves and plant it on its own.

How tall does Eriocaulon buergerianum grow?

Eriocaulon buergerianum grows to about 3.1 in (8 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.

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