Ricciocarpus Natans (Ricciocarpus natans) Care Guide
A floating liverwort with distinctive heart-shaped lobed thalli that form rosette-like clusters on the water surface.
Overview
Ricciocarpus natans is an aquatic plant in the family Ricciaceae. A floating liverwort with distinctive heart-shaped lobed thalli that form rosette-like clusters on the water surface. The undersides develop purplish scales, giving the plant its common name and adding visual interest from below.
Taxonomy
- Family: Ricciaceae
- Genus: Ricciocarpus
- Scientific name: Ricciocarpus natans
- Other names: Purple-fringed Riccia, Floating Liverwort
Habitat
A cosmopolitan floating liverwort with a worldwide distribution in slow-moving and standing freshwater. The genus Ricciocarpus is monotypic, with R. natans as its only species. The undersides of the thalli bear purplish scales that distinguish it from the related genus Riccia.
Growth requirements
- Light: low (≈30-50 PAR at substrate)
- CO2: optional (CO2 improves growth and coloration)
- Temperature: 15-28 °C
- pH: 6-7.5
- GH: 2-12 °dGH
- Substrate: not applicable (attached to wood or stone)
- Nutrient demand: low
- Growth rate: medium
- Difficulty: beginner
Placement
- Recommended placement: floating at the surface
- Maximum height: 2 cm
- Trim every: 7 days
Propagation
In cultivation the plant is propagated by vegetative division or fragmentation.