Rotala sp. "Long Leaf" - 1 bunch

This finely leaved Rotala is mostly sold as Rotala wallichii "Long Leaf". However it resembles Rotala sp. "Nanjenshan" and possibly does not belong to the species Rotala wallichii. This plant is probably from tropical Asia. In its submerged form, it differs from R. sp. "Nanjenshan" by darker, more reddish coloration and upright growth. The shoots are up to about 5 cm wide. The submerged leaves are linear, to 1 mm wide and ca. 1,5-3 cm long, slightly tapering towards the tip. They are arranged in whorls of mostly 5 or 6. The upper side is light or medium green to yellowish or brown-red, the underside is pink. The stem is green and about 1,5 mm thick. The emersed plants have coarser, broader, light green leaves.

As well as Rotala wallichii, "Long Leaf" 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 sp. "Long Leaf" 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.