Rotala Ceylon

Care at a glance

Overview

One of the more forgiving rotalas and a good background plant, it grows fast and tolerates a wide parameter range including harder water. It stays green in modest light and only blushes pink at the tips under strong lighting, so treat the color as a bonus rather than the point. It regrows readily after trimming without needing to be replanted every time.

In the wild

Ceylon is a form of Rotala rotundifolia first exported from Sri Lanka, the island formerly called Ceylon, where it grows in shallow, brightly lit water. In the wild the parent species favors marshes, ditches, and paddy fields across South and Southeast Asia.

Good to know

A member of Lythraceae and a regional variant of Rotala rotundifolia rather than a separate species, which is why it is often traded as Rotala sp. 'Ceylon' and sometimes as Rotala sp. 'Pink'. Compared to typical rotundifolia its submersed growth is looser and more open, with thinner, darker stems that spiral upward and longer gaps between leaf pairs. Leaves are light green with a pinkish underside.

Did you know

Did you know Ceylon owes much of its popularity to Takashi Amano, the pioneer of nature aquascaping, who featured it in his layouts after it was exported from the island.

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