Pogostemon helferi
Pogostemon helferi
Also known as Downoi, Daonoi, Little Star
Care at a glance
- Light
- High light
- CO2
- CO₂ beneficial
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Placement
- Foreground
- Type
- Carpeting
- Temperature
- 72–82°F (22–28°C)
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Hardness
- 2–12 dGH
- Max height
- 3.1 in (8 cm)
- Spread
- 3.1 in (8 cm)
- Nutrient uptake
- Root + water column
- Growth region
- Submersed or emersed
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Origin
- Thailand (Mekong/Salween river basins of Southeast Asia)
- Family
- Lamiaceae
Overview
A foreground accent plant best planted in small individual clumps a few centimeters apart so the side shoots can fill in over time. Give it strong light to keep the rosettes compact and the leaves tightly curled, and add CO2 plus regular dosing if you want faster, denser carpets. It is a slow grower and a magnet for calcium and iron deficiency, which shows up as pale new growth or twisted tips, so keep micronutrients and a little GH topped up. Plant the crown right at the substrate surface and avoid burying the growing center.
In the wild
Native to seasonally flooded limestone areas of Thailand and the wider Mekong and Salween basins in Southeast Asia. In the wild it grows on rocks in fast-flowing streams, spending the dry season emersed and the wet season fully submersed. The hard, mineral-rich water of its limestone home is why it appreciates a bit of GH and calcium in the tank.
Good to know
A member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), so it is a true flowering plant rather than a stem aquatic in the usual sense. It grows as a low rosette of crinkled, wavy-edged leaves that radiate in a star pattern from a short central crown, and it spreads laterally by sending out side shoots rather than long runners. The scientific name honors the botanist who first collected it, and it was only introduced to the hobby in the mid-2000s.
Did you know
Its trade name Downoi comes from a Thai phrase meaning little star, a nod to the way the crinkled leaves splay out from the center like the points of a star.
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
- Glass Aqua Aquascaping plants and planted tank supplies
- Buce Plant Aquatic plants and aquascaping supplies
- Aquarium Plants Factory Aquatic plants shipped from a California greenhouse
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
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