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Ludwigia ovalis Pink

Ludwigia ovalis 'Pink'

Also known as Ludwigia ovalis sp. Pink, Pink ludwigia ovalis

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Growth rate
Medium
Placement
Midground
Type
Stem
Temperature
64–82°F (18–28°C)
pH
5.0–7.5
Hardness
1–12 dGH
Max height
15.7 in (40 cm)
Spread
3.1 in (8 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Medium
Origin
Aquarium strain of Ludwigia ovalis, native to East Asia
Family
Onagraceae

Overview

A midground stem grown in loose groups, with stems planted individually a couple of centimeters apart so light reaches the lower leaves. It colours up on light and micronutrients more than on starvation: give it strong light, regular iron and trace dosing, and it rewards you with pink tops, while under weak light it slides back toward olive and stretches. CO2 is not mandatory but tightens the growth and deepens the colour. Trim by topping and replanting; crowded, shaded stems drop their lower leaves. Soft to moderately hard, slightly acidic water suits it best.

In the wild

Pink is a selected aquarium form, not a wild population. Its parent, Ludwigia ovalis, is a marsh plant of East Asia, creeping along pond margins, ditches and wet paddies in China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, where it grows emersed on damp ground and switches to submersed growth when the water rises. The selection is maintained entirely in cultivation for its stronger rose-pink colour.

Good to know

A member of Onagraceae, the evening primrose family. The species name ovalis refers to the oval leaves, and unusually for the ludwigias in the trade they are arranged alternately along the stem rather than in opposite pairs. Pink is a commercial selection rather than a described taxon: where the standard species runs olive-gold to orange-red, this form holds a lighter rose-pink, most obvious in the newer growth.

Did you know

Its colour runs on iron rather than deprivation. Unlike many red stems that only blush under ultra-lean nitrate schemes, this selection tips from olive-gold to pink with ordinary iron and micronutrient dosing under good light.

Appears in

High-light plants · Midground plants · Stem plants

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