Ludwigia palustris

Also known as Marsh seedbox, Marsh primrose-willow, Common water-primrose, Ludwigia palustris 'Super Red', Isnardia palustris, Red ludwigia

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Ludwigia palustris (Ludwigia palustris) — "Ludwigia palustris-4351" by Ragnhild & Neil Crawford is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/. · by-sa

Care at a glance

Light: Medium light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Growth rate: Fast
Placement: Background
Type: Stem
Temperature: 59–82°F (15–28°C)
pH: 5.0–8.0
Hardness: 2–20 dGH
Max height: 19.7 in (50 cm)
Spread: 2 in (5 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Easy
Origin: Near-cosmopolitan (North and Central America, Europe, North and Southern Africa, West Asia)
Family: Onagraceae

Overview

One of the easier red stem plants, well suited to the mid-ground or background where it forms dense bushes. Plant individual stems a couple of centimeters apart in nutrient-rich substrate and trim the tops to encourage side shoots, replanting the cuttings. It will grow in moderate light without CO2 but stays greenish and leggy. Strong light, CO2 and good iron levels turn it compact and deep red.

In the wild

An almost cosmopolitan marsh plant found in boggy ground, ditches, pond margins and slow streams across North and Central America, Europe, Africa and West Asia. It grows both emersed as a creeping bog plant and fully submersed, tolerating a wide range of soft to moderately hard water.

Good to know

A member of the evening-primrose family Onagraceae and the genus Ludwigia. It is an extremely variable species, which is why it is often confused with Ludwigia repens in the trade. The older name Isnardia palustris is a synonym, and the popular deep-red form is sold as 'Super Red'.

Did you know

Did you know this plant is so genetically variable that the same species can look completely different from tank to tank, which is exactly why it gets mislabeled as Ludwigia repens or sold under made-up trade names like 'Super Red'.