Hottonia palustris

Hottonia palustris

Hottonia palustris is a graceful and botanically unusual European aquatic plant producing finely divided, feathery submerged leaves alongside the remarkable ability to produce pale purple flowers above the waterline in open-top setups — making it one of the very few aquarium plants capable of producing genuinely beautiful and botanically distinctive emersed blooms. The feathery submerged foliage creates a fine, naturalistic background texture; the pale purple flowers are a botanical event of considerable charm.

Care tip: Hottonia palustris grows best in moderate lighting with CO₂ optional. Maintain temperatures of 60–75°F and pH 6.0–7.0. Regular fertilization supports healthy growth.

Growing to 8 to 16 inches, Hottonia palustris is a background plant that prefers cooler water than strictly tropical plants — its European origin means it performs best and flowers most readily in aquariums maintained below 75°F. In appropriate cool conditions it is a reliable, attractive background plant; in tropical tanks running at 78°F and above it declines.

This moderate plant grows in moderate lighting with CO₂ optional. The temperature range of 60 to 75°F reflects the genuine cool-temperate European origin of this species — it is not a tropical plant. A pH of 6.0 to 7.0 provides comfortable conditions. Regular fertilization supports healthy, feathery foliage and the potential for the distinctive purple emersed flowers.

In the aquascape, Hottonia palustris provides finely divided, feathery background texture with the added botanical reward of pale purple emersed flowers in open-top setups. In cool-water and temperate biotope aquariums it is a genuinely beautiful and regionally authentic European native aquatic plant. The chart notes its feathery foliage and purple flowers accurately — both are genuine and charming qualities.

Hottonia palustris is a graceful and flowering European aquatic plant for cool-water and temperate biotope aquariums. Its feathery submerged foliage and pale purple emersed flowers make it one of the most botanically charming and regionally authentic cool-water background plants available.

Care & Specifications