TankBud

Mosaic plant

Ludwigia sedioides

Also known as Mosaic flower, False loosestrife, Jussiaea sedioides

FreshwaterRosetteCuttingsSide shoots

Invasive. Mosaic plant is invasive and restricted in parts of Australia and some US states. Never release into the wild; dispose of in the trash.

Mosaic plant (Ludwigia sedioides)
Yercaud-elango · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
70–82°F
21–28°C
Max height
11.8 in
30 cm
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Floating
Type
Rosette
pH
5.5–7.5
Hardness
2–12 dGH
Spread
23.6 in (60 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Medium
Family
Onagraceae
Origin
Tropical South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Brazil)

Overview

Mosaic plant is grown for the ornate red-and-green rosettes it spreads across the water surface, not as a background plant. It is of medium difficulty.

Did you know

Mosaic plant moves with the day. Its rosettes open flat in daylight, and at night the leaves overlap and contract in a true nyctinastic movement.

Caring for mosaic plant

Root mosaic plant in a soft substrate and let the leaves grow up to the surface. It needs bright light hitting the surface, so it is really a pond or open-top tank plant. Its rosettes shade out everything below them.

It grows without injected CO2, but CO2 and a rich substrate speed it up. It feeds through both roots and leaves, so root tabs and a liquid fertilizer both help. Keep the pH between 5.5 and 7.5, since it hates alkaline water and declines above pH 8.

It grows fast and spreads far enough to need regular thinning. Any cut length of stem grows into a new plant, and new rosettes bud off the sides and break away on their own. It wants 70 to 82°F (21 to 28°C), and cold below about 18°C kills it.

Mosaic plant is considered potentially invasive in some regions, and Sri Lanka has flagged it as a problem species. It is not on any federal noxious weed ban list, but never release it into local waterways.

Good to know

Mosaic plant's accepted name is Ludwigia sedioides (Humb. & Bonpl.) H.Hara, in the family Onagraceae. It was first described as Jussiaea sedioides. Despite its floating look, it is not a free-floater like duckweed, because it roots in the substrate.

In the wild

Mosaic plant is native to tropical South America, including Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Brazil. It grows in still or slow-moving swampy water and pond margins. Its stems reach the surface, where the leaves fan out into flat, diamond-shaped rosettes that float on top. In the wild a single plant can spread across a couple of feet of water.

Common questions

Does mosaic plant need to be planted in the substrate?

Yes. Plant its roots in the substrate and let the leaves grow up to the surface.

Does mosaic plant need CO2?

No, but it helps. Mosaic plant can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does mosaic plant need?

Mosaic plant needs high light from a strong planted-tank LED.

Does mosaic plant need root tabs?

They help. Mosaic plant takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.

How do you propagate mosaic plant?

Mosaic plant propagates by cuttings and side shoots. Any length of stem cut off grows into a new plant. Side shoots bud off and float free.

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