Syngonanthus Belem

Care at a glance

Overview

A softwater collector stem plant that demands high light, CO2, and low GH/KH (under 5) with an acidic aquasoil. Regular water-column dosing, especially of iron, keeps the tops a vivid green rather than pale. Trim only from the bottom since the dense crown holds the visual appeal, and expect an adaptation period after any change in water chemistry.

In the wild

Native to very soft, acidic blackwater rivers in Brazil near Belem at the mouth of the Amazon. It grows as an upright plant with whorled, needle-fine leaves forming a bright green star-shaped crown.

Good to know

First brought into the hobby as 'Tonina sp. Belem', it was later confirmed by botanists to belong to Syngonanthus and is generally treated as Syngonanthus macrocaulon, a name Kew regards as a synonym of Syngonanthus anomalus. It sits in the pipewort family, Eriocaulaceae, alongside Tonina and Eriocaulon. It is a stem-forming pipewort, and its bright colour is strongly tied to iron availability.

Did you know

Did you know Syngonanthus 'Belem' spent years wearing the wrong name? It entered the hobby labelled Tonina sp. 'Belem' before botanists reassigned it to the genus Syngonanthus, and the old trade name still sticks around.

Related plants

• Syngonanthus Manaus

  Syngonanthus sp. 'Manaus'

  High lightMidground11.8 in (30 cm)
• Eriocaulon Vietnam

  Eriocaulon sp. 'Vietnam'

  High lightMidground4.7 in (12 cm)

• 

  Eriocaulon quinquangulare

  Eriocaulon quinquangulare

  High lightMidground3.1 in (8 cm)

• 

  Tonina fluviatilis

  Tonina fluviatilis

  High lightBackground13.8 in (35 cm)

• 

  Eriocaulon cinereum

  Eriocaulon cinereum

  High lightForeground3.1 in (8 cm)
• Eriocaulon Sulawesi

  Eriocaulon sp. 'Sulawesi'

  High lightForeground1.2 in (3 cm)