Pogostemon stellatus Broad Leaf

Pogostemon stellatus 'Broad Leaf'

Also known as Pogostemon stellatus 'Broad', Broad leaf water star, Eusteralis stellata 'Broad Leaf'

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Care at a glance

Light: High light
CO2: CO₂ required
Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Background
Type: Stem
Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.0
Hardness: 3–12 dGH
Max height: 23.6 in (60 cm)
Spread: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Difficult
Origin: Asia and Australia
Family: Lamiaceae

Overview

Same demanding recipe as the narrow form: strong light, injected CO2 and steady micronutrients, with iron dosing behind the purple tips. The broader blades make the whorls read even fuller in a background group, and like all stellatus forms it stunts quickly when CO2 or micros dip. Top and replant rather than letting stems age out.

In the wild

A trade form of Pogostemon stellatus, the water star of shallow wetlands and paddies across South and Southeast Asia into northern Australia. The species is wildly variable in leaf width across its range, and the Broad Leaf form preserves the wide-bladed end of that spectrum that the common narrow octopus-type material does not show.

Good to know

A member of the mint family Lamiaceae, long traded under its old genus name Eusteralis. Where the familiar narrow form carries needle-fine whorls, Broad Leaf sets noticeably wider, flatter blades in the same dense whorls around the stem, so a single stem reads as a full rosette from above. Under strong light the tips flush from green through pink to violet, the same trait that made the species famous.

Did you know

One species, two silhouettes: the same plant sold as a spiky octopus in its narrow form becomes a layered star in the broad form, and shops have treated them as separate plants for decades.