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Eelgrass

Vallisneria

Also called Eel Grass or Tape Grass, Tapegrass, Wild Celery, Tapegrasses, Vallis

Eelgrass
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain

Vallisneria is a genus of submerged freshwater aquatic plants, including eelgrass and tapegrass, commonly grown in aquariums and ponds. Its commonly grown members are fully underwater grasses with long, strap-like leaves that spread by runners.

Family
Hydrocharitaceae (Hydrocharit family)
Grows as
Grass, Aquatic
Light
Bright indirect
Water
Grows fully submerged in water; no watering needed beyond keeping the tank or pond full.
Soil
Plant roots in aquarium gravel, sand or nutrient-rich substrate, or in pond mud.
Temperature
18–28 °C for most aquarium forms; protect from freezing.
How easy
Easy

About

Vallisneria (named in honor of Antonio Vallisneri) is a genus of freshwater aquatic plant, commonly called eelgrass, tape grass or vallis. The genus is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America.

Vallisneria is a submerged plant that spreads by runners and sometimes forms tall underwater meadows. Leaves arise in clusters from their roots. The leaves have rounded tips, and definite raised veins. Single white female flowers grow to the water surface on very long stalks. Male flowers grow on short stalks, become detached, and float to the surface. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. The fruit is a banana-like capsule having many tiny seeds.

Uses

Various strains of Vallisneria are commonly kept in tropical and subtropical aquaria.

Other Vallisneria plants

American eelgrass · Eelgrass

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Vallisneria by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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