TankBud

Rotala pusilla

Rotala mexicana

Also known as Rotala mexicana 'Goias', Rotala mexicana 'Araguaia', Rotala sp. 'Goias', Mexican Rotala

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Rotala pusilla (Rotala mexicana)
Nativeplants garden · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ required
Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
Max height
11.8 in
30 cm
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Midground
Type
Stem
pH
4.5–7.0
Hardness
0–7 dGH
Spread
1.2 in (3 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Difficult
Family
Lythraceae
Origin
Pantropical (South America, West Africa, Australia, Japan)

Overview

A small, fine, needle-leaved red stem that works in dense groups in the mid-ground or in nano tanks. It is an all-or-nothing plant: with strong light, steady CO2 and full nutrient dosing in soft acidic water it grows fast and reddens, but any shortfall causes blackening and stunting. Propagate by trimming and replanting the tops. Not one for a low-tech tank.

In the wild

A widely distributed species found across tropical and subtropical South America, western Africa, Australia and Japan, growing in seasonally wet ground, paddies and pond margins. It is a small annual marsh herb that grows emersed and submersed.

Good to know

Rotala pusilla Tul. is treated by botanical authorities (Kew POWO, World Flora Online) and by aquarium databases as a synonym of Rotala mexicana Cham. & Schltdl., in the family Lythraceae. Its very wide natural range has led to it being described repeatedly under different names over the years.

Did you know

Despite trading as several different 'plants' (pusilla, mexicana, the 'Araguaia' form, and the 'Goias' form), these are the same botanical species, so the same tank of Rotala pusilla could honestly be sold under any of those labels.

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