Cultivated dwarf form of Lobelia cardinalis, native to North America
Overview
Lobelia cardinalis Mini is a tidy, easy plant for the foreground and lower midground. It has long been a fixture of Dutch-style layouts.
Did you know
Full-size Lobelia cardinalis is the scarlet, hummingbird-pollinated cardinal flower. The aquarium Mini is that same species, shrunk by one chance mutation into a cushion plant under 15 cm.
Caring for Lobelia cardinalis Mini
Push cuttings of Lobelia cardinalis Mini into a nutrient-rich substrate a few centimeters apart. It builds a low, dense cushion, branching on its own instead of racing for the surface the way the full-size species does.
Medium light keeps it compact. It grows fine without CO2, just more slowly and a little looser. It feeds through roots and leaves, so root tabs and a liquid fertilizer both help.
Growth is moderate, and it rarely needs the constant topping of ordinary stems. When it does get leggy, replant the tops. Keep the leaves clean of algae with sensible light and good flow. It grows at 64 to 79°F (18 to 26°C).
Good to know
Lobelia cardinalis Mini belongs to Campanulaceae, the bellflower family, an unusual lineage for an aquarium plant. It differs from the species in its far smaller stature and rounder, coin-shaped light green leaves set close together on the stem. It is also traded as 'Small Form' or 'Nana'. True Mini traces back to a single mutation in cultivation, so plants sold under the name are not all identical.
In the wild
Lobelia cardinalis Mini is a dwarf form of Lobelia cardinalis, a North American marsh plant of wet stream banks and floodplains. The species ranges from Canada down to Central America and lives emersed for most of the year. The Mini form arose in cultivation and is known only from the aquarium trade.
Common questions
Is Lobelia cardinalis Mini a different species from Lobelia cardinalis?
No. Lobelia cardinalis Mini is a form of Lobelia cardinalis. It reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm), against 11.8 in (30 cm) for the species. It also differs in placement.
Does Lobelia cardinalis Mini need to be planted in the substrate?
Yes. Strip the leaves from the lower part of each stem, then push the stems into the substrate one at a time, a little apart.
Does Lobelia cardinalis Mini need CO2?
No. Lobelia cardinalis Mini grows well without added CO2.
How much light does Lobelia cardinalis Mini need?
Lobelia cardinalis Mini wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.
Does Lobelia cardinalis Mini need root tabs?
They help. Lobelia cardinalis Mini takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.
How do you propagate Lobelia cardinalis Mini?
Lobelia cardinalis Mini propagates by side shoots and cuttings. Cut a side shoot off once it has a few leaves and plant it on its own. Cut off the top of a stem and replant it, and the stump left behind grows new shoots.
How tall does Lobelia cardinalis Mini grow?
Lobelia cardinalis Mini grows to about 5.9 in (15 cm) tall. It grows at a moderate pace.
Medium lightForeground3.9 in (10 cm)
High lightForeground3.9 in (10 cm)
High lightForeground3.9 in (10 cm)
Medium lightMidground5.9 in (15 cm)
Medium lightMidground5.9 in (15 cm)
Medium lightMidground5.9 in (15 cm)