Littorella uniflora (Shoreweed) Care Guide
Littorella uniflora, or shoreweed, is a cool-water European rosette plant of nutrient-poor lakes that spreads by runners and forms a low lawn.
Overview
Littorella uniflora, known as shoreweed, is a cool-water rosette plant with rush-like leaves. It is a very slow grower in the aquarium and forms a grass-like lawn through runners. The species lives mostly submerged in nutrient-poor freshwater and can also grow emersed, which makes it suitable for outdoor pond cultivation.
Taxonomy
- Family: Plantaginaceae
- Genus: Littorella
- Scientific name: Littorella uniflora
- Common synonyms: Plantago uniflora, Littorella lacustris, Littorella juncea
Habitat
The plant is native to the Azores, Morocco, most of Europe (excluding the dry southeast), Iceland and the Faroes. It grows on the shores and shallow-water zones of clear lakes and ponds with sandy ground, preferring nutrient-poor, low-calcium water. When submerged it obtains CO2 mainly through its roots and uses both crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and C3 carbon fixation; it stops using CAM if exposed to air.
Growth requirements
- Light: high
- CO2: beneficial, around 10-40 mg/l reported
- Temperature: 10-22 °C (50-72 °F)
- pH: 6.0-7.5
- GH: 3-12 °dGH
- Growth rate: slow
- Maximum height: about 8 cm
Placement
Its low, grass-like growth suits the foreground and ground-cover plantings, including nano tanks and unheated, cooler aquariums.
Propagation
Littorella uniflora spreads by runners; daughter plants can be split off and replanted.