Moneywort

Bacopa monnieri

Also known as Bacopa, Water Hyssop, Brahmi, Herb of Grace

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Moneywort (Bacopa monnieri) — Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0

Care at a glance

Light: Medium light
CO2: No CO₂ needed
Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Background
Type: Stem
Temperature: 64–82°F (18–28°C)
pH: 6.0–8.0
Hardness: 4–15 dGH
Max height: 11.8 in (30 cm)
Spread: 2 in (5 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Beginner
Origin: Pantropical (wetlands worldwide, including India, the Americas and Australia)
Family: Plantaginaceae

Overview

One of the easiest stem plants for a low tech tank, used in the mid-ground and background and planted stem by stem into the substrate. It is slow but steady, needs no CO2, and does fine under low to medium light, which makes it forgiving for beginners. The main thing to watch is that its slow pace makes it a magnet for algae if light is too strong relative to growth, and the lowest leaves can rot if buried, so plant only the bottom bare stem.

In the wild

A pantropical wetland plant found in marshes, muddy banks and the edges of ponds and streams across India, the Americas, Africa and Australia. It is a creeping marsh herb that grows happily emersed in soggy ground and tolerates standing water, which is why it adapts so readily to submersed aquarium life. It naturally handles a wide range of conditions, including slightly brackish coastal wetlands.

Good to know

Belongs to the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. It has thick, succulent, oval leaves arranged in opposite pairs on a sturdy stem, an unusually fleshy build for an aquarium stem plant. Outside the hobby it is the medicinal herb Brahmi, long used in Ayurvedic medicine. Like most stems it propagates from cuttings and roots from the nodes rather than spreading by runners.

Did you know

The same plant in your tank is sold in health stores as Brahmi, a traditional Ayurvedic memory and brain tonic that is still being studied for effects on cognition.