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Ludwigia Marilia

Ludwigia sp. 'Marilia'

Also known as Ludwigia sp. 'Marília'

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Background
Type
Stem
Temperature
68–82°F (20–28°C)
pH
5.5–7.5
Hardness
2–15 dGH
Max height
23.6 in (60 cm)
Spread
2.4 in (6 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Origin
Found near Marília, São Paulo, Brazil
Family
Onagraceae

Overview

A fast background stem for the back glass, planted as a group of individual stems in nutrient-rich substrate. It is not demanding: medium light keeps it green and healthy, while stronger light plus a full fertilizer routine pushes the shoot tips toward orange and red. CO2 is not required but adds density and speed. The main job is trimming, because shoots that reach the surface run along it and start throwing floating leaves; top the stems regularly and replant the cuttings to keep the group bushy and submersed.

In the wild

Marilia is an undetermined Ludwigia collected near the city of Marília in São Paulo state, Brazil, and is known in the hobby only from that find. Like other South American Ludwigia it is an amphibious marsh plant, growing emersed on wet ground and switching to submersed growth when flooded. Trade stock today is farmed, including tissue culture, rather than wild collected.

Good to know

A member of Onagraceae, the evening primrose family, and still not determined to species; shops list it as Ludwigia sp. 'Marilia' after the collection site. Submersed shoots carry roundish, stalked, alternate leaves around 3 cm long on soft light green stems, coloring from light green through orange to reddish in the shoot tips under strong light. The alternate leaf arrangement separates it at a glance from the opposite-leaved Ludwigia repens and palustris types it superficially resembles.

Did you know

Under good conditions this plant covers real distance, putting on around 20 cm of stem in a week and reaching the surface of most tanks in days rather than weeks. The trim schedule, not the growing, is the actual work.

Appears in

Background plants · Stem plants · Beginner plants · Fast growers

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