Staurogyne Repens

Common Names - Synonyms:

Ebermaiera repens Nees

Origin - Distribution:

• South America

If you want a robust green plant that remains low and forms a rich bush look no further. S. repens has become a staple in many aquascaping styles. It can be used as a midground plant in nano aquariums, as a transitional plant or outlining the hardscape in middle sized aquariums or as a carpet in larger aquariums. Its bright green is a perfect contrast for A. reineckii ‘mini’ or a black seiryu stone (Photo2).

The stem will branch abundantly and creep along the substrate if light is sufficient. When crowding occurs the bush will get taller. Two trimming styles can be adopted with this plant. One is selective pruning where individual stems are cut to maintain the shape over a long time. The second is unselective trimming which results in a lower thicker bush in about 2 weeks (Photo 3)

The plant is undemanding but does better with CO2 injection and strong light. The root system is quite developed which may make it suitable for root fertilization. It is one of the first plants to show Mg deficiencies as interveinal white spots on older leaves. It seems to be sensitive to ammonia spikes and may melt initially in new aquariums but grow without problems once the aquarium is established.

Photo 1: Submersed Staurogyne repens. Source : Mihai Zamfir (Allwissend), 2017. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Photo 2: Submersed Staurogyne repens, trimming technique. Source : Mihai Zamfir (Allwissend), 2017. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Photo 3: Submersed Staurogyne repens, overcrowding and contrast with A. reineckii. Source : Mihai Zamfir (Allwissend), 2017. All rights reserved. Used with permission.