Ludwigia super red: the easy red stem

Where it comes from

Ludwigia super red is a selectively cultivated form of Ludwigia palustris, a marsh plant native to the Americas and beyond. It was bred for aquariums to hold a deep red colour more reliably and at lower light than most red plants.

What to expect

Sturdy stems carry pairs of pointed oval leaves that range from bronze-green to a deep wine red. Grown well it is one of the most solidly, evenly red plants available — a bold contrast against green backdrops like hygrophila or vallisneria.

How to keep it

This is the red plant for people without CO2. It will grow and stay reddish in a well-lit low-tech tank, where fussier reds like Rotala wallichii would sulk. Light is the main lever for colour — the brighter the tank, the deeper the red — with iron and a rich substrate helping. CO2 simply speeds it up.

Parameter	Value
Lighting	Medium to high — high light deepens the red
CO2	Not required; beneficial
Temperature	20–28 °C
pH	6.0–7.5
Hardness	Soft to hard
Fertiliser	Iron and rich substrate deepen colour
Substrate	Nutrient-rich preferred
Growth rate	Moderate
Placement	Midground, Background
Difficulty	Medium

Where it works and how to spread it

Use it in the midground or background as a colour accent, in a group rather than a single stem. Top and replant the cuttings to propagate; the parent stem branches below the cut, thickening the stand.

What goes wrong

Green, not red, is the common disappointment — almost always too little light. New emersed-grown plants also often drop their first leaves as they convert to submersed growth; see plant melt. Give it strong light and a little iron and the colour follows.

More plants in this series

• Ludwigia repens — the classic easy red-green Ludwigia
• Rotala wallichii — the high-tech pink stem
• Alternanthera reineckii — the broad-leaved red plant
• Rotala rotundifolia — the colour-shifting stem plant
• Ludwigia arcuata — the fine needle-leaf Ludwigia