TankBud

Isoetes velata var. sicula

Isoetes longissima

Also known as Isoetes velata sicula, Sicilian quillwort

FreshwaterRosetteDivisionSpores

Isoetes velata var. sicula (Isoetes longissima)
Laurenç MARSOL · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
Max height
11.8 in
30 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Midground
Type
Rosette
pH
5.0–8.0
Nutrient uptake
Root feeder
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Isoetaceae
Origin
Southern Europe (Sicily and Sardinia)

Overview

Isoetes velata var. sicula is a quillwort for the midground of the tank. It rates easy and is adaptable about water values.

Did you know

Isoetes velata var. sicula, like other quillworts, does much of its feeding underground. Submersed Isoetes draw a large share of their carbon dioxide up through the roots from the sediment. This old trick of the lineage lets them grow in soft, carbon-poor pools where stem plants would starve.

Caring for Isoetes velata var. sicula

Push the roots into a nutrient-rich fine substrate, such as sand or fine gravel with a little loam. Keep the central crown above the substrate line, or it rots. It feeds mainly through its roots, so add root tabs if the substrate is plain.

Medium light is enough for Isoetes velata var. sicula. It grows without injected CO2, though CO2 speeds it up. Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C).

Growth is slow and asks for patience. Divide a large clump into smaller ones to propagate it. Raising it from spores is slow and fiddly, which is why it stays scarce in the hobby.

Good to know

Isoetes velata var. sicula is not a flowering plant at all but a lycophyte in the family Isoetaceae. This spore-bearing lineage is related to the clubmosses and far older than any flowering aquarium plant. Current taxonomy treats the trade name as a synonym of the wider Mediterranean species Isoetes longissima. The narrow, quill-like leaves rise in a grassy rosette from a swollen base, and each leaf carries a spore chamber where it meets the crown.

In the wild

Isoetes velata var. sicula is a quillwort of Mediterranean temporary pools, and aquarium stock traces to Sicily and Sardinia. These shallow basins flood in autumn and winter, when the plant grows submersed. In summer they bake dry, and it survives as a dormant corm-like base and a bank of spores. That drawdown rhythm makes it far more adaptable than its rarity suggests.

Common questions

Does Isoetes velata var. sicula need to be planted in the substrate?

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

Does Isoetes velata var. sicula need CO2?

No, but it helps. Isoetes velata var. sicula can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does Isoetes velata var. sicula need?

Isoetes velata var. sicula wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.

Does Isoetes velata var. sicula need root tabs?

Yes. Isoetes velata var. sicula 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 Isoetes velata var. sicula?

Isoetes velata var. sicula propagates by division. Split a large clump into smaller ones and plant them separately.

How tall does Isoetes velata var. sicula grow?

Isoetes velata var. sicula grows to about 11.8 in (30 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.

Related plants