Pogostemon Dassen

Care at a glance

Overview

A demanding background stem that needs bright light (around 100+ PAR), stable strong CO2, soft water and full macro and micro dosing to show its orange, pink and red tones and stay compact. It is finicky and prone to shedding lower leaves and melting if parameters swing, so it suits established high-tech tanks and experienced hands, not beginners. Trim and replant the tops to build a full bushy stand.

In the wild

A narrow-leaved selection of Pogostemon stellatus, a marsh and wetland plant from tropical Southeast Asia found in seasonally flooded ground across Thailand, Malaysia and neighbouring countries. The parent species grows emersed on damp soil for much of the year and only goes underwater when the wet season floods its habitat. 'Dassen' is a hobby cultivar prized for finer, more delicate foliage than the standard form.

Good to know

Pogostemon sits in Lamiaceae, the mint family, and a close relative is the source of patchouli oil. The narrow-leaved aquatic Pogostemon were formerly placed in the genus Eusteralis, so older references list this plant as Eusteralis stellata. Leaves emerge in whorled pairs along the stem, a stellate arrangement that gives the species its name.

Did you know

The whole narrow-leaved Pogostemon group belongs to the mint family, so a plant sold as a fussy red aquascaping stem is a botanical cousin of the patchouli used in perfumes.

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