Freshwater
West Indian spongeplant
Limnobium laevigatum
Hydrocharitaceae
Facts
Care
- Growth form
- Floating
- Placement
- Surface
- Light
- Medium
- CO₂
- Not needed
- Growth
- Fast
- Difficulty
- Easy
Range
NativeIntroduced
Lives wild in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and 15 more countries.
Introduced to Australia, Belgium, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, and 6 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Hydrocharis laevigata is a floating aquatic plant, and is a member of the family Hydrocharitaceae. Common names include West Indian spongeplant, South American spongeplant and Amazon or smooth frogbit. This plant was introduced to North American waterways through use in aquariums and aquascapes.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Hydrocharella echinospora
- Hydrocharis laevigata
- Hydrocharis stolonifera
- Hydromystria laevigata
- Hydromystria sinclairii
- Hydromystria stolonifera
Articles
All articles
Easy plants for beginners4 min read
Plants that cope with low light, soft water and a beginner’s mistakes, and how to plant them so they grow.
How to set up a South American aquarium4 min read
Soft, acidic water, subdued light, sand, roots and fallen leaves: how to set up a biotope aquarium from the Amazon and the rivers around it.
How to set up a Central American aquarium5 min read
Hard, alkaline water, sand and rock: an aquarium from the rivers and lakes of Mexico and Central America, with cichlids and livebearers.
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.