Pellia

Monosolenium tenerum

Also known as Pellia, Pelia, Monosolenium, Pellia endiviifolia

FreshwaterMossRhizome division

Pellia (Monosolenium tenerum) — Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Light: Low light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Epiphyte
Type: Moss
Temperature: 59–82°F (15–28°C)
pH: 5.0–8.0
Hardness: 0–15 dGH
Max height: 2 in (5 cm)
Spread: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Water column
Growth region: Submersed
Difficulty: Easy
Origin: East and Southeast Asia (China, Japan, India, and surrounding regions), on wet soil and rock near water
Family: Monosoleniaceae

Overview

Forgiving and undemanding but physically fragile, with branches that snap easily and will not attach by themselves. Tie or net it down, or trap it under hardscape, since it has no rhizoids to grab on and strong flow will break it apart and scatter pieces. It tolerates low light and no CO2 but stays sparse and slow that way; brighter light plus CO2 makes it fuller and a richer green. Keep it in calm water and thin overgrown clumps before the centers smother and rot.

In the wild

A thalloid liverwort native to East and Southeast Asia, where it grows on wet ground and rock near streams and seeps. It is rare in the wild and was once thought possibly extinct in its native range before being rediscovered. In the aquarium it forms loose, brittle, translucent dark-green clumps of forking thallus that look like a larger, coarser version of mini pellia.

Good to know

Monosolenium tenerum is a liverwort and was long sold under the wrong name Pellia endiviifolia before being correctly identified. It is the only species in its genus Monosolenium 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.

Did you know

Did you know this plant has bounced between names and even back from the brink? Once feared extinct in the wild and sold for years under a completely wrong name, it survives in the hobby almost entirely as cultivated stock passed between aquarists.