Star duckweed

Care at a glance

Overview

Let it drift under the surface in low to moderate light with no CO2 required, and it will slowly build up into cushions. It is far less aggressive than common duckweed, so it will not choke the surface, and it tolerates cool temperatures well. Thin it if it gets thick enough to shade plants beneath.

In the wild

Unlike the duckweeds that coat the surface, star duckweed grows as translucent, toothed fronds joined in branching, ivy like chains that hang just below the water line. The chains tangle into loose cushions that drift midwater and only rise to the top to flower. This gives shrimp and fry a soft, sheltering thicket without blanketing the surface.

Good to know

Star duckweed is one of the few duckweeds that grows submerged, with fronds staying connected in crosswise chains rather than floating singly. It sits in the arum family, the same broad group as anubias and philodendron.

Did you know

Because it floats below the water rather than on top, it is much easier to live with than surface duckweed and rarely takes over a tank.

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