Rotala Rotundifolia

Rotala Rotundifolia token

• Difficulty: Easy
• Family: Lythraceae
• Gender: Rotala
• Origin: Asia
• Lighting: Low
• Temperature: 4nd - 32th
• Increase: Fast
• PH: 4.0 – 8.0
• Hardness: 0 – 21
• Co2: Optional

Characteristics of Rotala Rotundifolia

It is a classic aquarium plant, distributed from the South to the Southeast and East of Asia, where it is found in swamps, on the banks of rivers and in rice fields from the lowlands up to a height of 2700 meters above sea level. Rotala Rotundifolia was first introduced under the misnomer Rotala Indica around the year 1960, a confusion that persists to date and creates potential errors, as the true Rotala Indica (which differs considerably from Rotala Rotundifolia) was also introduced.

La inflorescence of the emerged form from true Rotala Indica differs from R. rotundifolia. While R. Indica only bears rather inconspicuous individual flowers or short flower spikes at leaf nodes along the bud, the most noticeable flowers of Rotala Rotundifolia They grow in candle-shaped spikes at the tip of the shoot.
Its Latin name rotundifolia means "round leaves", however, the round leaves that gave the plant its name are only found in its emerged form. In the aquarium, the leaves of Rotala Rotundifolia have an elongated oval or even linear shape.

Can be found various forms of R. rotundifolia, of different colors when they are kept in similar parameters. Rotala sp. "Colorata", Rotala sp. "Green", Rotala sp. "Orange Juice" and Rotala sp. "H'Ra" or "Gia Lai") apparently also belong to R. Rotundifolia.
The shape of R. Rotundifolia is highly dependent on the environment in which it is found, complicating the distinction between different shapes.

Compared to other species of the genus Rotala, it is a undemanding plant that grows well in medium light. However, it shows its full potential, just as its reddish color shows only under strong light. So, it can even grow creeping. The different doses of fertilizer contribute shades of color from pink to yellow.

Propagation of Rotala Rotundifolia is easy: by lateral or upper shoot cuttings that are simply replanted in the substrate. When pruned, the plant sheds many lateral shoots and grows profusely and creeping.. The same happens when it reaches the surface of the water. Older stems can simply be replaced with replanted cuttings.

Rotala rotundifolia it is best placed in the middle or bottom of the aquarium. With its beautiful color it is a pleasant accent both in nature and in an aquarium.