Common Name
Manatee mudflower, Baby tears
Description
Hemianthus glomeratus is a delicate stem plant from Florida. In the hobby, it has long been known under the erroneous name H. micranthemoides (or Micranthemum micranthemoides). It was recently identified correctly in the USA. With its small, light green curved leaves it is nice for beautiful dense group plantings. Under intensive light it tends to develop a creeping growth habit and thus can be used as foreground plant for strongly-lit tanks. However, it is better-suited for bushy groups in the middle ground of larger tanks or for the background of nano aquaria. Under strong light it can also be cultivated emerged, given that the substrate is kept moist. Then you'll get a dense mat with very small leaves.
Baby tears, known as Hemianthus micranthemoides (or Micranthemum micranthemoides) in the hobby for decades, was discovered to be Hemianthus glomeratus by Cavan Allen in early 2011. True Hemianthus micranthemoides is another species that has probably never been in aquarium cultivation. The last herbarium record of this plant from nature is from the year 1941, and the plant is considered missing and possibly extinct today. Hemianthus micranthemoides used to occur on the Atlantic coast of the USA between the states of Virginia and New York in fluvial tidal zones. Hemianthus glomeratus, however, is endemic to Florida, where it can still be found in large numbers in its natural habitats. It grows, amongst others, in wet depressions and stagnant waters. Its emersed form, growing on wet soil, forms a dense, low, light green carpet of tiny creeping shoots.
Source
Flowgrow
Characteristic
Delicate fresh green stem plant
Small leaves
Forms dense bushes
Synonyms
Micranthemum glomeratum (Chapm.) Shinners, Micranthemum nuttallii var. glomeratum Chapm.
Complete Botanical Name
Hemiánthus glomerátus (Chapm.) Pennell
Family
Linderniaceae
Genus
Hemianthus
Misapplied Names
Hemianthus micranthemoides, Micranthemum micranthemoides
Category
Foreground
Difficulty
easy
Growth
fast
Carbon Dioxide
need
pH Value
5-7
Temperature Tolerance
5-30℃
Carbonate Hardness
0-21 dKH
General Hardness
0-30 °dGH
Propagation
Cuttings
Can Grow Emersed?
yes
Aquascaping
well-branched, bushy
Height
5-20 cm
