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Form of Rotala rotundifolia

Rotala Orange Juice

Rotala rotundifolia 'Orange Juice'

One of 8 forms of Rotala rotundifolia · See all forms →

Also known as Rotala rotundifolia OJ, Rotala sp. 'Orange Juice'

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Forms · Rotala rotundifolia

See all 8 →

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
59–82°F
15–28°C
Max height
11.8 in
30 cm
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Background
Type
Stem
pH
5.5–7.5
Hardness
1–12 dGH
Spread
1.6 in (4 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Medium
Family
Lythraceae
Origin
Italy (cultivated selection)

Overview

Grow it as a background or upper-midground stem plant and top it regularly to keep it bushy. It only shows its full green-yellow-orange-red gradient under strong light with CO2 and steady iron dosing, staying greener and softer-colored in low-tech tanks. The leaves are brittle, so handle stems gently when planting and replant trimmed tops rather than leaving cut stumps.

In the wild

This is not a wild plant. It is a cultivated form of the Asian species Rotala rotundifolia, which in the wild grows in marshes, rice paddies, and pond margins across Southeast Asia. Orange Juice was selected in cultivation in Italy around 2014 and does not occur in nature.

Good to know

Rotala rotundifolia belongs to the loosestrife family, Lythraceae. The species name means round-leaved and refers to the rounded leaves of the emersed (out of water) form, while submersed stems produce narrow, needle-like leaves. Orange Juice is a color sport, meaning a spontaneous mutation, selected from the 'Colorata' form.

Did you know

Did you know Orange Juice was created by Italian hobbyist Massimo Iannella, who spotted and propagated a few orange-tinted shoots growing in a patch of ordinary Rotala 'Colorata'.

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