Pogostemon erectus

Care at a glance

Overview

A neat, upright mid-ground stem grown in tight bunches for a textured green column. It is not a true beginner plant: it wants high light to stay compact, with CO2 and regular dosing strongly recommended to avoid stunting. It tends to stall if grown in hard water combined with heavy water-column nutrients, so go easier on dosing in hard tap. Tops out around 15 to 25 cm and branches readily when trimmed, building into a bushy group.

In the wild

Native to India, where it grows in seasonal pools and wet ground that flood and dry out through the year. It forms upright, bright green stems densely set with fine needle-like leaves, giving a conifer or bottlebrush look. In the wild it switches between an emersed land form and the submersed underwater form aquarists grow.

Good to know

The plant long sold as Pogostemon erectus is now accepted as Pogostemon deccanensis, a member of the mint family Lamiaceae. The genus Pogostemon also contains patchouli (Pogostemon cablin), the source of the perfume oil. The needle leaves are arranged in whorls around the stem, which is what produces the dense, star-like cross-section that gives it the trade name Indian star plant.

Did you know

Did you know it is a close cousin of patchouli. Both are Pogostemon, so the same genus behind the classic perfume oil also gives aquascapers this conifer-like underwater stem.

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