Ludwigia brevipes: description, conditions of detention, photo

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Full name - Ludwigia brevipes (Latin name Ludwigia Brevipes) - or short-legged aquatic plant. It is unusual in its elegance and adds sophistication to any water and surface space. The homeland of the plant is North America, but this foreigner has perfectly taken root in the aquarium space of Russian fish lovers.

Among green waters

The submersible form of the plant is easy to cultivate despite being native to the southeastern and eastern US natural landscapes. Prefers swampy areas in its natural environment, but requires clean water and light in artificial reservoirs.

It forms lush bushes in the center or as a background of an artificial pond. In appearance, it is similar to Ludwigia arcuate - a close relative growing in the same latitudes as Ludwigia brevipes. Only a professional aquarist can distinguish between these two species.

The plant can also exist in shallow water, in shallow flat vessels with water covering the roots of the sissy.

Fish-fish where was

Aquarium fishthrive under the protection of the long stems of Ludwigia brevipes.

The plant is unpretentious in content, but it is difficult to arrange.

What is Ludwigia brevipes? Plant description below.

• The stems are equipped with many side branches.
• The leaves of the plant are an arcuate plate, which reaches 4 cm and 5 mm in length and width, respectively. The edges are slightly wavy.

Ludwigia is quite unpretentious, but still requires certain rules for growing and keeping. The water prefers neutral, the average temperature is 22-28 degrees.

If there is a lot of iron in the water, the leaves of ludwigia become reddish. At first they are green at the stem, but over time they gradually change color to orange and reddish towards the leaf tip.

To achieve the desired color, you can artificially feed the plant by adding carbon dioxide to the water.

Look at the photo of Ludwigia brevipes below - this is an adult plant with colorful leaves.

Height and safe haircut

The normal growth of Ludwigia stubs provides sufficient light. Under favorable conditions, it grows quite quickly, up to 10 cm per month.

It is better to place the plant on the side shelves of the aquarium, planting in separate pots. It can be grown without soil, but in this case, Ludwigia will not be decorative enough.

This is a compact bush, 30 cm high and just over five centimeters wide.

All stems thatknocked out or ahead of the growth of the main bush, it is necessary to carefully cut it.

The cut tops of the stems can be used to propagate the plant.

To do this:

1. Cut off the top of the stem - this will be a cutting for growing.
2. A 10 cm long cutting is immediately planted in the ground or left to float on the surface until the roots appear.
3. Plant in the ground, deepening the first whorl of leaves.

Ludwigia brevipes: maintenance and care

Usually they try to plant ludwigia on the middle or background plan of the aquarium.

For contrast, bright green plants or other types of Ludwigia can be planted nearby.

Beautiful design of the aquarium is ensured if you plant 2-3 bushes together, cutting the tops. The plant will quickly form lateral shoots, and the bushes will grow luxuriantly.

Ludwigia planted with a "ladder" looks great.

The root system of the plant is weak, so proper care is important:

• In order for the plant to acquire bright orange and red tops, you need to add additional trace elements with iron content, enrich the soil.
• Unpretentiousness and the ability to adapt to any conditions, allows you to grow Ludwigia both in large aquariums and in small small fish tanks.

Big family

Ludwigia brevipes or short-legged, belongs to the vast Onagric family.

Straight and elongatedthe stem is decorated with simple leaves. The flowers of the plant appear above the surface of the water, in the axils of the leaves.

The flower consists of eight yellow petals and sepals. Under natural conditions, this species of Ludwigia easily crosses with other plant species.

Today, more than 70 cultivars of Ludwigia are known. They differ not only in the color and shape of the leaves, but also in flowering. There is, for example, Ludwigia Guinea with bright crimson oval leaves and a pattern of yellow veins on the leaf surface.

Another relative from a large family, Ludwigia marsh in the photo below, is unusual in the brightness of the leaves.

Advantages among aquarium plants

The decoration of the underwater world of the aquarium is achieved by the advantage of Ludwigia brevipes that it is able to grow horizontally or at a large angle, even without enough light.

The cut stems can not be planted, but removed inside the bush, thereby compacting it, making it more lush and voluminous.

Thanks to this, the plant creates large decorative groups that can be compacted or, conversely, whimsically planted for a beautiful and original design of the aquarium.