Temple plant: the easy big-leaved background stem
Hygrophila corymbosa
If you want a fast, generous background plant that forgives beginner mistakes and does not need CO2, the temple plant is one of the safest choices in the hobby.
A robust marsh plant from Asia
Hygrophila corymbosa is a vigorous marsh plant from Southeast Asia, sold under a string of names — temple plant, giant hygro, and variety names such as ‘Siamensis’, ‘Angustifolia’ and ‘Stricta’ that differ in leaf width and habit — ‘Stricta’ has broader, wavier leaves, and the identity of ‘Siamensis’ is taxonomically debated. It grows emersed along waterways and submersed when flooded, and like most marsh plants it is tough, fast and adaptable.
That toughness is exactly why it has been a hobby staple for decades: it asks very little and grows almost regardless of what you throw at it.
Big, bold leaves
The plant carries large lance-shaped leaves in opposite pairs up a sturdy upright stem, giving real visual weight to a background — a contrast to the fine-leaved stems it is often planted alongside. Leaves are green, sometimes with a bronze or reddish cast to the newest growth under strong light, but this is grown for structure rather than colour.
How to keep it
There is not much to say, which is the point: it tolerates low light through to high, soft water through to hard, and does not need CO2. It is a heavy feeder from both roots and water column, so it does well with root tabs in inert substrate as well as column dosing. The deficiency it most commonly shows is potassium: pinholes that appear in older leaves and slowly enlarge. Potassium is the usual culprit in fast-growing hygrophilas and topping it up typically resolves it — though pinholing can have other causes, so treat it as the first thing to check rather than a certain diagnosis. Compare what each all-in-one delivers in the fertiliser comparison calculator.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to high — genuinely tolerant |
| CO2 | Not needed; grows faster with it |
| Temperature | 22–28°C |
| pH | 6.0–8.0 |
| Hardness | Soft to hard — very adaptable |
| Fertiliser | Not fussy; watch potassium to avoid leaf pinholes |
| Substrate | Any; a root feeder as well as a column feeder |
| Growth rate | Fast |
| Placement | Background |
| Difficulty | Easy |
Structure and speed at the back
Its size and speed make it a natural background plant for medium and large tanks, quickly screening equipment and giving a layout instant mass. In smaller tanks it can overwhelm, so it suits those with room to let it grow. Because it grows so fast, plan on regular trimming to keep it in bounds.
As easy as it gets
Cut the top and replant it; the base branches and the tops root within days. It also grows emersed with ease, making it a good candidate for the top of an open tank or a paludarium. Few plants are simpler to multiply.
What goes wrong
Pinholes in older leaves most often point to potassium shortage, the commonest deficiency in this fast grower — though it is worth confirming rather than assuming. Lower-leaf drop is usually self-shading, as the big upper leaves shade their own bases, though poor flow or nutrient mobilisation can contribute; thin the stand and replant tops. Melting after planting can happen when an emersed-grown plant converts to submersed growth — new submersed leaves follow. Its habit of growing straight for the surface means frequent topping is simply part of keeping it.
More plants in this series
- Hygrophila polysperma — the smaller, faster cousin
- Water wisteria — another easy fast background stem
- Bacopa caroliniana — a slower, tidy background stem