Bacopa Australis

Quick facts

Identity

Also known as

Southern Bacopa; Creeping Water Hyssop

Synonyms

Bacopa sp. 'Australis'

Environment

Freshwater

Native to

Brazil, Argentina

Habitat

Clear freshwater streams, slow-flowing calcareous rivers, and marginal wetlands of southern South America, growing both submerged and emersed along banks

Sourcing

Aquacultured

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Easy

Growth form

Stem

Max height

4 – 16 in (10 – 41 cm)

Spread

1.5 in (3.8 cm)

Growth rate

Fast

Placement

Midground, Background, Foreground

Water

Temperature

64 – 82 °F (18 – 28 °C)

pH

6.0 – 7.5

GH

2 – 15 dGH

dKH

0 – 21 dKH

PAR

30 – 80 PAR

Flow

Low-Moderate

Light

Medium

CO₂

Beneficial

Planting

Substrate

Any

Feeds from

Both

Fertilizer needs

Medium

Colors

Green, Red

Feeding & breeding

Propagation

Cuttings

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Care guide

Overview

Rounded, bright green leaves crowd along slender stems that build into a soft, dense bush suited to midground or background placement. Undemanding and tolerant of varied water parameters, it stays compact under medium-high light and can be trimmed repeatedly to bulk up plantings. Grown emersed, mature stems produce small pink and white flowers.

Care

Bacopa australis tolerates a wide swing of temperatures, pH, and hardness, making it forgiving for newcomers to stem plants. It grows fastest and stays most compact under medium to high light, while low light causes leggy stems and leaf drop lower down. Regular trimming keeps the bush dense and prevents the lower stems from shading out and dying back.

Planting & trimming

Plant stem cuttings directly into the substrate in small groups, spacing them an inch or two apart to let them fill in as a bush. Pinch or cut the tops once stems approach the desired height and replant the cuttings to thicken the group. Under strong light the stems will creep horizontally and can be trained into a low carpet-like mat rather than growing upright.

Fertilizing

Growth improves with liquid all-in-one fertilizer dosed once or twice weekly, and root tabs or an enriched substrate help if lower leaves start yellowing. It draws some nutrients through its leaves as well as its roots, so water column dosing alone is usually sufficient in most setups. CO2 injection is not required but noticeably speeds growth and produces denser, more compact stems.

Propagation

Propagation is done by cutting healthy stem tips and replanting them in substrate, where they root readily. The parent stem also branches and sends out new lateral shoots below each cut, so trimmed portions can be reused repeatedly to bulk up a planting.

Problems

Rarely melts compared to many other stem plants, though newly planted or shipped cuttings can occasionally show translucent, mushy leaves before recovering. Thin, weak growth with stretched internodes usually signals insufficient light rather than a nutrient problem. Pale new leaves point to iron or potassium deficiency and respond well to increased micronutrient dosing.

Sources

1. Bacopa australis (Bacopa Australis) Care Guide - Shore Aquatic
2. Bacopa australis Aquatic Plant Care | Atlarium
3. Bacopa australis - Southern Bacopa - Flowgrow Aquatic Plant Database
4. Creeping bacopa care: light, CO2 and placement · TankBud

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