Ludwigia repens is a long-time mainstay of the aquarium hobby. It has been used in planted aquariums since the earliest days of aquarium keeping in the U.S. It is a hardy, beautiful and relatively easy to maintain plant, even in tanks with lower amounts of light and without supplemental CO2. Under these conditions, the plant will have longer internodes (the “stem” between groups of leaves) and will tend to hurry toward the surface, then branch profusely on the surface, where it can optimize access to both light and atmospheric CO2. In a CO2 supplemented tank with good nutrient support, it will still tend to have this upward-branching growth habit, but the glossy red and olive leaves make it worth the work needed to keep it trimmed back!

Common Name:    Broad leafed Ludwigia (and others) 

Family Name:          Onagraceae

Native To:                North America

Lighting:                  Moderate

Requirements:         Undemanding, but responds positively to good conditions

Growth Form:          Stem

Growth Rate:           Fast 

Placement in Tank:  Background, or further forward with regular trimming.