TankBud

Limnophila hippuridoides

Also known as Limnophila aromatica 'Hippuridoides', Purple ambulia, Giant red ambulia

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Limnophila hippuridoides (Limnophila hippuridoides)
Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
Max height
19.7 in
50 cm
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Background
Type
Stem
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
2–12 dGH
Spread
3.1 in (8 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Medium
Family
Plantaginaceae
Origin
Malay Peninsula

Overview

Grown under strong light with good CO2 and full NPK plus iron, it turns a striking dark red to purple, but under weak light it stays green and leggy. It is a fast grower that spreads horizontally, so give each stem room, and it feeds heavily from the substrate as well as the water column. It is usually delivered in green emersed form and colors up once it converts to submersed growth.

In the wild

A marshweed from the Malay Peninsula that grows in wet and marshy ground. Underwater it forms tall upright stems carrying whorls of 6 to 8 narrow leaves at each node, developing an extensive root system.

Good to know

It belongs to the family Plantaginaceae and is closely related to Limnophila aromatica, with which it is very often confused and mislabeled in the trade. The two are distinct species, and hippuridoides tends toward darker reds with purple undersides.

Did you know

It is so routinely sold as Limnophila aromatica that many aquarists never realize they own the wrong plant, yet hippuridoides pushes into deeper purple tones than true aromatica does.

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