Freshwater
Chinese water chestnut
Eleocharis dulcis
Cyperaceae
Facts
Care
We have no care for this plant yet. If you know how it thrives, you can suggest it.
Range
Native
Lives wild in Andaman Is., Angola, Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Caroline Is., and 48 more countries.
Videos
Snorkelling a Suspiciously Clear Irrigation Canal in Thailand | Gourami, Snakeheads, Rasbora & more!
Rodrigo SilvaOct 6, 2026
Snorkelling a Suspiciously Clear Rice Field | Exploring Eastern Thailand EP2
Rodrigo SilvaJul 24, 2026
More about the species
Description
Eleocharis dulcis, the Chinese water chestnut or water chestnut, is a grass-like sedge native to Asia, tropical Africa, and Oceania. It is grown in many countries for its edible corms, but if eaten uncooked, the surface of the plants may transmit fasciolopsiasis. The water caltrop, which also is referred to by the same name, is unrelated and often confused with the water chestnut.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Andropogon dulcis
- Eleocharis austrocaledonica
- Eleocharis equisetina
- Eleocharis esculenta
- Eleocharis indica
- Eleocharis plantaginea
In other languages
- Vannkastanje
- Vattenkastanj
- Vandkastanje
- Vesikastanja
Articles
All articles
How to set up an African aquarium5 min read
Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.
How to set up an Asian aquarium5 min read
Two aquariums from Southeast Asia: calm forest streams and peat swamps with soft, brown water, and fast mountain streams with cool, oxygen-rich water.
How to set up an aquarium from Australia and New Guinea4 min read
The home of rainbowfish: water, substrate, plants and light for rainbowfish, blue-eyes and peacock gudgeons, with a long aquarium and open water in the middle.
How to care for aquarium plants3 min read
Light, nutrients and CO₂ in balance, low tech versus high tech, and how to read from the leaves what your plants are missing.