Pellia

Monosolenium tenerum

Also known as Pelia, Monosolenium, Pellia endiviifolia

FreshwaterMossDivisionFragmentation

Pellia (Monosolenium tenerum) — Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light: Low light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 59–82°F; 15–28°C
Max height: 2 in; 5 cm

Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Epiphyte
Type: Moss
pH: 5.0–8.0
Hardness: 0–15 dGH
Spread: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Water column
Growth region: Submersed
Difficulty: Easy
Family: Monosoleniaceae
Origin: East and Southeast Asia (China, Japan, India, and surrounding regions), on wet soil and rock near water

Overview

Pellia is a forgiving, undemanding liverwort that lives tied to wood or stone rather than in the substrate. It is easy to keep but physically fragile.

Did you know

Pellia was once feared extinct in the wild before being rediscovered. The plants in the hobby survive almost entirely as cultivated stock passed between aquarists.

Caring for pellia

Tie pellia to stone or wood with fishing line, net it down, or trap it under hardscape, because it will not attach by itself. Its branches snap easily. Strong flow breaks it apart and scatters the pieces, so keep it in calm water.

Pellia is a low-light plant and grows without added CO2. In those conditions it stays sparse and grows more slowly. Brighter light plus CO2 makes it fuller and a richer green. It feeds from the water, so a liquid fertilizer does more for it than root tabs.

It grows at a moderate pace in water from 59 to 82°F (15 to 28°C). Pull overgrown clumps apart into smaller pieces and tie each one down as a new patch. Thin the clumps before the centers smother and rot.

Good to know

Pellia is a liverwort, Monosolenium tenerum, and was long sold under the wrong name Pellia endiviifolia before being correctly identified. It is the only species in its genus and sits in its own small family. The thallus lacks the tiny anchoring rhizoids that most mosses and liverworts use, which is why it never grips surfaces on its own. In the aquarium it forms loose, brittle, translucent dark-green clumps of forking thallus, like a larger, coarser mini pellia.

In the wild

Pellia is a thalloid liverwort native to East and Southeast Asia, including China, Japan and India. It grows on wet ground and rock near streams and seeps, and it is rare in the wild.

Common questions

Does pellia need to be planted in the substrate?

No. Pellia does not root or cling to surfaces on its own. Tie it to a stone with fishing line, or tuck small tufts between other plants.

Does pellia need CO2?

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

How much light does pellia need?

Pellia is a low-light plant, and the light that comes with a standard tank kit is enough for it.

How do you propagate pellia?

Pellia propagates by division and fragmentation. Pull a clump apart into smaller pieces and tie each one down. Pieces that break off keep growing, so pulling a clump apart spreads it.