About the species

Pogostemon helferi was found in Thailand close to the border with Burma, and is known there as 'Downoi', meaning little star. The name fits: the plant grows five to ten centimetres tall and just as wide, with strongly curled dark green leaves radiating from a low rosette. Its shape is quite unlike anything else in the hobby and makes it very easy to recognise.

Facts

• Latin name: Pogostemon helferi
• Plant type: Stem plant
• Origin: Asia
• Height: 3–10 cm
• Growth rate: Medium
• Position: Foreground

Light requirement

Medium light requirement. Reckon on around 0.5 W per litre or a modern mid-range LED unit. Too little light gives sparse, stretched shoots and pale leaves, while the right amount keeps the plant compact and richly coloured.

CO₂ & nutrition

Added CO₂ is recommended — Tropica reckons 6–14 mg/l as a medium requirement. The plant can be grown without, but then grows more slowly and loses some of its colour. Supplement with liquid fertiliser weekly and keep iron and potassium levels up.

Planting

Split the bunch and set the stems one by one, about two centimetres into the substrate and two to three centimetres apart. Removing the lowest leaves first stops them rotting in the substrate. A group of five to ten stems looks far better straight away than single plants.

Rinse all the gel off in lukewarm water before planting, otherwise it can cause bacterial cloudiness. The cup holds many small plants — divide them up and plant them in several portions.

Care & propagation

Top the plant when it reaches the height you want and replant the cuttings — that propagates it and gives a denser group at the same time. Trim regularly so light reaches the lower leaves, and discard the old lower sections once they start thinning out.

Position in the aquarium

Its low mature size makes it a foreground plant. Place it right at the front where nothing shades it, and let it form a continuous surface in front of the taller plants.

Difficulty level

🟡 Moderate — wants stable lighting and regular fertilisation to look its best.

Delivery format

Delivered as 1-2-Grow! — a laboratory-grown cup holding many small plants in nutrient gel. Because the plant is cultivated in vitro it is completely free of snails, algae, planaria and pesticides, which makes it the safest choice for a shrimp aquarium.

Recommendation

One of the most distinctive foreground plants and a rewarding eye-catcher right at the front glass, preferably in a group of five to ten plants. Give it a nutrient-rich substrate and it puts out side shoots that knit into a star-patterned patch.