Willow-leaf Hygrophila
Hygrophila salicifolia
Willow-leaf Hygrophila
- Large, light green stem plant
- Upright habit
- Up to 15 cm long, narrow leaves
Emersed-grown plants of the genus Hygrophila can occasionally develop small, firm tissue growths ("pustules") on the upper and lower sides of their leaves. These are completely harmless and are not caused by pests or disease. These bumps will no longer appear on newly sprouted submersed leaves.
Curbside delivery: This item ships by freight carrier and is delivered to the curb only, not to your door or into your home. The carrier will call you in advance to schedule a delivery date. Learn more about freight delivery
Customers also bought
Item question
We’re here for you!
Please enter your question and e-mail and we’ll contact you as soon as possible. It usually takes us up to 24 hours during business days to respond.
Thank you for your question!
Thank you, we’ll get in touch!
Close window
You already sent us a question.
Please wait a few minutes
Description
The Willow-leaf Hygrophila is native to wetlands in tropical Asia and long known as aquarium plant. It belongs to the Hygrophila ringens group as well as Hygrophila lancea. In its terrestrial (emersed) form, its stems may get about one meter tall, with about 10-15 cm long, 3 cm broad leaves. Light purple flowers may appear in the leaf axils of emersed shoots.
The submerged shoots grow upright and are hardly branched. They look best when they are allowed to reach a height of about 30-40 cm. The firm stem is round in cross section, about 2,5 mm thick, green with red-brown tinge above the nodes, the internodes up to about 4 cm long. The submerged leaves are narrowly lanceolate, medium to light green, to about 11,5 cm long and 1,9 cm wide, with about 7 mm long stalk. Newly appearing leaves at the shoot tip are reddish with light brown-pink midrib. The plant grows moderately fast under aquarium conditions.
Hygrophila salicifolia is not very demanding but needs a good supply with macro- and micronutrients that are also absorbed from the substrate. CO2 addition is not always necessary but enhances its growth. Medium lighting is sufficient. The favourable temperature range lies between about 20 and 28 °C. As well as other stem plants, it is propagated by cuttings. Frequent trimming leads to slower growth and smaller shoots.
With its size, the Willow-leaf Hygrophila is best placed in the background, also in the midground of larger aquariums. It is well suited for "plant streets" in the Dutch style and also Asia-themed biotope tanks. With its light green tones, it contrasts well with red plants. When it is not cut back, it grows out of the water and may show its purple flowers. Hygrophila salicifolia is also interesting as emersed plant for paludariums and Wabi-Kusa.
The name Hygrophila salicifolia refers to various forms of Hygrophila from tropical and subtropical Asia. When grown emersed, these plants produce pale lilac flowers borne in the leaf axils at the stem nodes.1
The Hygrophila salicifolia group is taxonomically very complex. Some authors regard Hygrophila angustifolia and H. lancea as belonging to H. salicifolia, while others treat them as separate species. In the online version of the "Flora of China"2, the names H. salicifolia, H. angustifolia, and H. lancea (along with several others) are listed as synonyms of Hygrophila ringens var. ringens.
In the aquarium hobby and trade, several plants can be assigned to the H. salicifolia group based on their flowers. On www.heimbiotop. (read more)
| Synonyms | Ruellia salicifolia Vahl |
| Complete botanical name | Hygróphila salicifólia (Vahl) Nees |
| Family | Acanthaceae |
| Genus | Hygrophila |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Usage | Background, Midground, Street (Dutch style) |
| pH value | 5 - 8 |
| Temperature tolerance | 18 - 30°C |
| Carbonate hardness | 2 - 18°dKH |
| General hardness | 0 - 30°dGH |
| Propagation | Cuttings |
| Can grow emersed? | yes |
| Source | Flowgrow |
| Synonyms |
| Ruellia salicifolia Vahl |
| Complete botanical name |
| Hygróphila salicifólia (Vahl) Nees |
| Family |
| Acanthaceae |
| Genus |
| Hygrophila |
| Difficulty |
| easy |
| Usage |
| Background, Midground, Street (Dutch style) |
| pH value |
| 5 - 8 |
| Temperature tolerance |
| 18 - 30°C |
| Carbonate hardness |
| 2 - 18°dKH |
| General hardness |
| 0 - 30°dGH |
| Propagation |
| Cuttings |
| Can grow emersed? |
| yes |
| Source |
| Flowgrow |
How many plants do I need?
General information
Please choose a variant to see more information.
| Item no. |
|
| EAN | |
| Weight | |
| Shipping weight |
Questions and answers about Hygrophila salicifolia
You have questions about this product? Ask other customer or our support team about this product!
Similar products
