Vesicularia reticulata ‘Erect Moss’

Vesicularia reticulata (“Erect Moss”) has a growing popularity among aquarists. Its vernacular name already hints at the growth habit of its stems and branches when they are cultivated submersed in a tank: upright. Its emersed form has a creeping habit, though. Like “Christmas moss” (Vesicularia montagnei), V. reticulata is widely distributed in the Asian tropics, where it is found in moist habitats. Under the microscope you can see that the leaves of this plant are ovate to lanceolate with an apiculate long tip.