Hydrocotyle leucocephala | How To Grow Brazilian Pennywort

Want to grow some stem plants in your freshwater aquarium? If you can provide plenty of light and want a nice, quick grower, one of your best options is Hydrocotyle leucocephala, better known among aquarists as Brazilian pennywort. This decorative little plant, with its coin-shaped leaves, doesn't require a green thumb to grow.

Below, let's have a look at everything you need to know to successfully grow Hydrocotyle leucocephala!

What is Hydrocotyle leucocephala?

Brazilian pennywort is a marsh plant in the family Araliaceae, also known as the ginseng family. It's naturally found in the Americas; its wide range runs all the way from southern Mexico to as far south as northern Argentina.

Semi-aquatic in nature, Hydrocotyle leucocaphala prefers warm, tropical temperatures and plenty of moisture. It mainly grows in boggy areas, both underwater and terrestrially. The species is easy to recognize by its round leaves, which are dotted along thin, upright stems that can reach a height of up to 25".

Did you know? If you allow your Hydrocotyle leucocephala plant to grow emersed (out of the water), it can bloom. The flowers are tiny but nice to see: little white puffballs popping up an inch or so above the plant's leaves.

Hydrocotyle leucocephala requirements

Brazilian pennywort is one of our favorite beginner plants thanks to its hardy, unfussy nature. It can grow in a wide range of temperatures and water parameters as long as you provide at least medium light levels. A PAR of roughly 35-50 µmol is ideal. Low light may keep it alive, but will unfortunately cause it to grow lanky, sparse, and pale.

Known for its sometimes alarmingly quick growth, Hydrocotyle leucocaphala is suitable for nano tanks of around 10 gallons and up, or even smaller if you don't mind trimming it regularly. Co2 dosing is optional, but we do recommend dosing nutrients: fast-growing plants like this one tend to quickly exhaust the nutrients present in the water if you don't add any manually. This can lead to slower growth and yellowing of the leaves. Do be sure to use a copper-free fertilizer if you keep shrimp.

Even in large aquariums, you can count on regularly having to give your Hydrocotyle a trim to prevent it from overgrowing the entire aquascape. It can feel counterproductive to snip parts off our aquarium plants, but pruning actually encourages bushy growth! As an additional bonus, you don't have to throw the cuttings away. They can be replanted anywhere in the tank, where they'll soon root and continue growing.

Hydrocotyle leucocephala uses

If you're looking for a versatile plant for your aquarium, you can't go wrong with Hydrocotyle leucocephala! It's mainly used as a background plant, but that's not your only option. Depending on the size of the tank, it may also work well in the mid-ground area. And if you don't feel like planting it, that's no problem either: Brazilian pennywort is often left floating, and it grows just fine like this. In fact, it seems to prefer it!

This plant is also a great option for the paludarium. Because it grows in bogs in the wild and does well both above and below the water line, the half water-half land design of a paludarium is actually the most natural option for it.

Tip: Looking for more of a foreground plant? Although it is technically possible to keep Hydrocotyle leucocephala growing low, controlling it can be a bit of a hassle. For the front area of your tank, may we recommend its close cousin, Hydrocotyle verticillata, instead? It tends to stay much closer to the substrate, making it a lot easier to manage.

Buying Hydrocotyle leucocephala

Brazilian pennywort is one of the most popular plants available in the aquarium hobby. Any local aquarium store should carry it, though keep in mind the quality can vary! You'll want to buy healthy-looking plants with vibrant, damage-free, bright green foliage. Use a bleach dip if you suspect snails or other pests may be present (which is very common).

You can also buy this plant online. The Shrimp Farm sells Hydrocotyle leucocephala in packs of three stems each and ships them right to your doorstep!