Product description
About the species
Proserpinaca palustris 'Cuba' is a stem plant with narrow, saw-toothed leaves that take on a clear copper tone in strong light. Tropica's variety comes from Isla de la Juventud off Cuba, and the stems grow ten to forty centimetres tall and five to ten centimetres wide. The saw-toothed leaves the plant arrives with are replaced, after a transition, by long, finely toothed and almost needle-thin ones. In the USA the species is known as mermaid weed.
Facts
• Latin name: Proserpinaca palustris 'Cuba'
• Plant type: Stem plant
• Origin: South America
• Height: 10–30 cm
• Growth rate: Medium
• Position: Background
Light requirement
High light requirement. It wants a strong light unit and a clear view of the surface — shaded by taller plants it quickly loses its lower leaves. Strong lighting also demands that CO₂ and nutrients stay in balance, otherwise algae take over.
CO₂ & nutrition
Requires injected CO₂ at roughly 15–25 mg/l to grow properly. Without CO₂ it stalls, drops its lower leaves and quickly becomes a foothold for algae. Fertilise daily or every other day with both macro- and micronutrients.
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
Given its mature height it belongs at the back or along the sides, where it forms a dense wall of greenery and hides equipment. In a smaller aquarium it can also be used as a solitaire in one corner.
Difficulty level
🔴 Advanced — requires strong lighting, added CO₂ and careful fertilisation.
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
The copper colour is hard to bring out without strong lighting and CO₂, but few plants give such an unusual shade in a layout. Be patient for the first few weeks — the leaves you buy are not the leaves the plant ends up showing.
