Plants Pads

The needle rush Eleocharis acicularis is found all over the world. It is a particularly lithe, grass-like plant for the foreground. It prefers cooler water, but does grow perfectly well at higher temperatures.

Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is a decorative foreground plant. In the wild it colonises the banks of rivers and marshes up to altitudes of over 1,000 m. Its grassy look is similar to that of Helanthium tenellum, which is why it is sometimes referred to as “false tenellus”.

Taxiphyllum barbieri is erroneously called Java moss. “Real” Java moss, Vesicularia dubyana, has been gradually phased out since the 1970s in favour of Taxiphyllum barbieri. This is a undemanding and highly variable moss that displays several different growth habits.

A new and promising foreground plant is Micranthemum tweediei. In contrast to the well-known M. umbrosum, this plant does not grow upright, but as a poster crawling on the ground.