Common Name
Dwarf baby tears
Description
Hemianthus callitrichoides is one of the world's smallest aquarium plants. It was originally imported by Holger Windelov, who found it in a riverbed on Cuba, to the west of Havana. Its delicate stems with the tiny roundish to ovoid leaves have a creeping growth habit. When planted in small tufts at a distance of a few centimetres, the plant will soon spread and form an uninterrupted carpet. Hemianthus callitrichoides is an attractive foreground plant for small as well as large tanks.
Hemianthus callitrichoides aka dwarf baby tears was imported from Cuba in 2004 by Tropica and has thus found its way into the hobby relatively recently. The plant was discovered by Holger Windeløv around 90 km to the East of Havana in a rocky river during the dry season. The dense, cushion-like population rooting in gravelly substrate was growing around 50 cm above the waterline, and he safely assumed that during the rainy season, the entire population is submersed in waters up to 1 m deep, with a strong current. Its leaf size of only four to three millimetres makes this Hemianthus species the smallest aquarium plant in the world. For several years it has been among the most popular aquascaping plants. The majority of Hemianthus callitrichoides plants you can buy in the trade were cultivated emersed and have roundish leaves.
Source
Flowgrow
Characteristic
The aquarium plant with the smallest leaves
Grows to form a dense carpet
Highly popular in aquascaping
Especially recommendable for nano tanks
Complete Botanical Name
Hemiánthus callitrichoídes Griseb.
Family
Linderniaceae
Genus
Hemianthus
Category
Foreground
Difficulty
medium
Growth
medium
Carbon Dioxide
need
pH Value
5-7
Temperature Tolerance
18-28℃
Carbonate Hardness
0-18 dKH
General Hardness
0-30 °dGH
Propagation
Runners, Cuttings, Splitting, Cutting off daughter plants
Can Grow Emersed?
yes
Texture
kleinblättrig, kurzblättrig
Colour
light green
