Rotala wallichi longleaf

Rotala wallichi longleaf is from tropical Asia. In its submerged form, it differs from R. sp. “Nanjenshan” by darker, more reddish coloration and upright growth. The submerged leaves are linear, to 1 mm wide and ca. 1,5-2,3 cm long, slightly tapering towards the tip. They are arranged in whorls of 3 to 5. The upper side is light or medium green to yellowish or brownish, the underside is pink. The emersed plants have coarser, broader, light green leaves.

Rotala wallichi longleaf prefers rather soft water, good lighting, CO₂ supply and regular, complete fertilization with macro and micro nutrients. Strong lighting provides the best reddish coloration of the foliage. Under good conditions, the growth is quite fast; as other stem plants, this Rotala is easily propagated by cuttings.

Rotala wallichi longleaf looks most beautiful as a larger group in the midground to background of not too small aquariums. This plant adds a further nuance to the variety of texture and colour of the fine-leaved Rotalas.

Synonyms – Rotala wallichii ”Long Leaf”, Rotala cf. occultiflora
Family – Lythraceae
Genus – Rotala
Difficulty – medium
Texture – feinfiedrig
Usage – Background, Midground, Street (Dutch style)
Aquascaping – fine-leaved
Height – 20 – 60cm
Width – 3 – 4cm
Growth – fast
Propagation – Cuttings
Can grow emersed? yes