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Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
The classic Brazilian Micro Sword is a popular carpeting plant. With strong light and adequate CO2, it spreads via runners to form a dense, grass-like lawn ideal for the foreground.
Class:Liliopsida
Order:Apiales
Family:Apiaceae
Genus:Lilaeopsis
Species:Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
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Water Temperature
4 - 28 °C
pH Value
6 - 7.5
Water type
Freshwater
Light
Medium - High
CO2
Medium - High
Expected height
6 cm
Expected width
10 cm
GH
4 - 20 dGH
KH
2 - 14 dKH
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is native to the southern regions of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. It grows along the muddy margins of calm rivers, coastal lagoons, and swamps subject to flooding. The plant tolerates a moderate marine influence in coastal brackish waters, growing both submerged and emersed on waterlogged soils.
Taxonomy & Genetics: It belongs to the family Apiaceae, genus Lilaeopsis. It is the most popular and stable species of the genus in aquarism. It has a genome adapted to slow but steady horizontal growth through robust underground rhizomes with marked tolerance to environmental and brackish variations.
Physical Structure: It features a creeping rhizome that elongates in the substrate or just above it. Thin roots and clumps of vertical, stiff, and slightly spatulate or flattened leaves develop from each node. Height in the aquarium is low, reaching only 5-7 centimeters if subjected to correct lighting.
Color & Texture: The leaves show a bright green, intense, and compact color. The texture is smooth, leathery, and stiff to the touch. This solid foliage resists currents and the destructive action of burrowing fish very well, creating a compact and highly natural-looking submerged lawn.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Lighting & CO2: Requires very intense lighting to stimulate horizontal growth and prevent the leaves from stretching and thinning. Constant CO2 administration is highly recommended to promote the formation of a dense and compact carpet.
Nutrition & Substrate: Prefers fertile, sandy substrates or fine active soils that do not hinder the flow of rhizomes. Requires a balanced column fertilization with iron and potassium to prevent yellowing and support root development.
Water Chemistry: Tolerates a wide temperature range between 4°C and 28°C, pH from 6.0 to 7.5, and carbon hardness (KH) from 2 to 14 dKH. Its resistance makes it suitable also for cold water or low-salinity brackish aquariums.
Space Management & Placement: Ideally placed in the foreground of the aquarium (foreground). It should be planted by dividing the clump into small groups of a few stems spaced 2-3 centimeters apart; over time, the clumps will join via lateral runners.
Pruning: Pruning is performed by trimming the leaves with sharp scissors. This cut stimulates branching of the underground rhizome and encourages denser lateral propagation, keeping the lawn low and even.
Risks & Diseases: Due to its slow growth, it is highly vulnerable to colonization by filamentous algae if lighting is intense but lacking balanced nutrients or CO2. Iron deficiencies cause leaf chlorosis.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is native to the southern regions of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. It grows along the muddy margins of calm rivers, coastal lagoons, and swamps subject to flooding. The plant tolerates a moderate marine influence in coastal brackish waters, growing both submerged and emersed on waterlogged soils.
Origin
Extra-Amazon South America
Plant profile
- Placement
- No verified data available
- Botanical form
- No verified data available
- Growth
- No verified data available
- Substrate
- No verified data available
- Column fertilization
- No verified data available
- Root fertilization
- No verified data available
- Trimming
- No verified data available
- Propagation
- No verified data available
- Nutrients
- No verified data available
- Sensitivity
- No verified data available
- Layout role
- No verified data available
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
Related species
Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.
