Pearl weed (Hemianthus micranthemoides)
Common name or synonym: Pearl weed, Pearl grass
Scientific name: Hemianthus micranthemoides
Pronunciation: hem-ee-AN-thus my-KRAN-thee-moy-deez
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Origin or range: Eastern coast of North America
Type of Plant: Stem
Difficulty: Easy
Area of tank best suited for: Foreground to Midground
Plant light requirements: Moderate
Propagation: Cuttings and side shoots
General plant notes: A wonderful easy to grow plant. Aquascaping with Pearlweed can offer great possibilities and two possible problems. Pearlweed is undemanding in regards to water hardness, however it does need moderate levels of light to grow bushy. Under high light the plant can be forced to creep along the substrate forming a carpet. Pearlweed is also easy to prune and shape into soft looking mounds and it's great for using in terraced plant groupings. The only disadvantage to this plant is that any small piece of the plant that breaks off will form new plants anywhere they end up in your tank. Careful removal of any and all pruned off pieces eliminate this problem.
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