Common Name
Small mud-mat, Glosso
Description
Glossostigma elatinoides is a very popular plant for Japanese-style tanks. It is one of the smallest aquarium plants, which makes it ideal for the foreground. A difficult-to-care-for plant that needs a lot of light. If the lighting is too weak, it tends to grow upwards. Must not be shaded off by larger plants. When planting, make small tufts (approx. 1/8 of the pot) and plant at a distance of only a few centimetres. Thus you will get a ground-covering group in less time. The injection of CO2 and soft water enhance growth considerably.
Glossostigma elatinoides is a very low-growing lawnlike aquarium plant with creeping runners and spatula-like leaves that grows emersed to totally submersed in bogs and flood areas as well as on river banks and lakeshores in its native habitats in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. Takashi Amano became aware of the hitherto rather unknown plant in 1980. He imported it to Japan via the aquatic plant nursery Dennerle and created the first Nature Aquaria layouts with low-growing carpets of Glossostigma. Meanwhile, Glossostigma elatinoides has become one of the most popular foreground plants in all the world. It is possible to confound Glossostigma elatinoides with small submersed waterclovers (Marsilea). However, the creeping runners of Glossstigma have opposing leaves (2 leaves per node), those of Marsilea are alternate (1 leaf per node). Moreover, Glossostigma leaves posses a distinct midrib, whereas the veins of Marsilea are fan-shaped, comparable to the leaves of a Ginkgo tree. There is another Glosso species, closely related to G. elatinoides, Glossostigma diandrum. Its flowers have two stamina, those of G. elatinoides have four. G. elatinoides is relatively easy to cultivate given that it has enough light and CO2. Light intensity should be at least 0.5 watts per litre. Under sufficient light, Glosso forms runners quickly, covering the entire ground after a relatively short time. Under insufficient light, however, it tends to grow out long. For good growth it needs sufficient nitrate (5 mg/L or above), phosphate (0.5 mg/L or above) and sufficient iron as well as micronutrients.
Source
Flowgrow
Characteristic
The most popular ground covering plant there is
Forms intense green carpets
Fast grower
Synonyms
Tricholoma elatinoides Bentham
Complete Botanical Name
Glossostigma elatinoides (Benth.) Hook. f.
Family
Phrymaceae
Genus
Glossostigma
Category
Ground Cover
Difficulty
medium
Growth
fast
Carbon Dioxide
need
pH Value
4-7
Temperature Tolerance
4-30℃
Carbonate Hardness
0-14 dKH
General Hardness
0-30 °dGH
Propagation
Runners, Cuttings, Splitting, Cutting off daughter plants
Can Grow Emersed?
yes
Aquascaping
forms a small-leaved carpet
