Lagenandra ovata
Lagenandra ovata (L.) Thwaites
Save this plant or add it directly to one of your aquariums.
Need help with Lagenandra ovata?
Explore compatibility, care or problems using this guide and your aquarium’s conditions.
Suitable with restrictions. Suitable only under specific aquarium conditions.
Planting & care
- PlacementBackground
- Growth typeCreeping plant
- LightMedium
- Height23.6–31.5" (60–80 cm)
About this plant
Lagenandra ovata is a large rhizomatous aroid from India and Sri Lanka that is best suited to open aquariums, ripariums and paludariums. Its broad green leaves rise from a substantial rosette and can reach 60 to 80 cm, giving the plant a bold, architectural appearance. In nature it occupies wet tropical habitats where water levels can change, so it is more convincing as a semi-emersed specimen than as a permanently submerged plant in a conventional aquarium. Keep it warm and provide a nutrient-rich, consistently moist substrate with enough room for the creeping rhizome. Medium light is sufficient, although stronger light can support denser growth. Propagation is slow but straightforward by dividing a mature rhizome or separating established daughter plants. Its final size makes Lagenandra ovata a background or solitary feature for spacious displays.
Quick specs
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Light
- Medium
- Temperature
- 72–79°F (22–26°C)
- Placement
- Background
- Growth type
- Creeping plant
- Aquarium suitability
- Suitable with restrictions Suitable only under specific aquarium conditions.
- Approx. height
- 23.6–31.5" (60–80 cm)
Water conditions
Plant reference ranges, not dosing instructions or measurements from your aquarium. Consider livestock needs and measured conditions.
- Temperature
- 72–79°F (22–26°C)
- pH
- 5–7.5
Nutrients
- Nitrate (NO₃)
- 10–50 mg/L
- Phosphate (PO₄)
- 0.5–3 mg/L
- Potassium (K)
- 5–50 mg/L
- Iron (Fe)
- 0.05–0.2 mg/L
Growth & placement
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Propagation
- rhizome division and daughter plants
- Color
- Green
Grow it successfully
What you’ll need to grow Lagenandra ovata
Start with this plant’s documented care needs, then use an AquariumLesson calculator to size the setup for your aquarium.
Fertilization
Regular macro and micronutrient fertilization supports healthy growth and coloration.
Calculate fertilizer dosingTaxonomy
- Major group
- Angiosperms
- Family
- Araceae
- Genus
- Lagenandra
- Botanical name
- Lagenandra ovata (L.) Thwaites
