TankBud

Rotala Nanjenshan

Rotala sp. 'Nanjenshan'

Also known as Rotala 'Nanjean'

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ required
Temperature
64–82°F
18–28°C
Max height
15.7 in
40 cm
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Midground
Type
Stem
pH
5.0–7.0
Hardness
0–12 dGH
Spread
5.9 in (15 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Medium
Family
Lythraceae
Origin
Taiwan (single locality near Nanjenshan, introduced 1993)

Overview

A soft-water, CO2-loving fine-leaved stem that is more manageable than Rotala wallichii but still wants strong light and CO2 to stay compact and colorful rather than pale and leggy. Used in the midground, it forms a soft feathery bush that trims into denser growth the more you top it. Keep the water soft and CO2-rich and dose traces for the reddish tips; in hard water or weak light it thins out and loses color.

In the wild

Rotala sp. 'Nanjenshan' is a fine, needle-leaved stem plant known from a single location near Nanjenshan in southern Taiwan, first introduced to the hobby in 1993. It grows submersed in soft, CO2-rich water and forms a creeping habit when emersed, occasionally throwing small light-purple flowers. Its narrow, roughly millimetre-thick leaves make it look much like Rotala wallichii but in a lighter green with reddish shoot tips.

Good to know

The plant has never been observed fruiting in cultivation, so its exact species is unconfirmed; the widely cited APC Plant Finder suggests it may be a natural hybrid of Rotala rotundifolia and R. wallichii, both in the loosestrife family (Lythraceae). It was originally circulated under the wrong name 'Mayaca sellowiana', a totally unrelated plant. Because it is easier to grow than true wallichii, it is often used as a more forgiving stand-in for that species.

Did you know

Did you know Rotala 'Nanjenshan' spent years being sold under the completely wrong name 'Mayaca sellowiana', and even today botanists cannot pin down its true identity because it has never flowered and set fruit in aquariums?

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