Lysimachia Nummularia Aurea / Creeping Jenny

Quick facts

Identity

Also known as

Golden Creeping Jenny; Golden Moneywort; Creeping Loosestrife

Synonyms

Lysimachia nummularia var. aurea

Environment

Freshwater

Native to

Europe, Western Asia

Habitat

Stream banks, pond margins, and damp meadows in temperate regions; grown as a groundcover on land and as an upright stem plant underwater

Sourcing

Captive-bred

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Easy

Growth form

Stem

Max height

3 – 12 in (7.6 – 30 cm)

Spread

3 in (7.6 cm)

Growth rate

Moderate

Placement

Midground, Background

Water

Temperature

59 – 77 °F (15 – 25 °C)

pH

6.0 – 7.5

GH

4 – 15 dGH

Flow

Low-Moderate

Light

Medium

CO₂

Beneficial

Planting

Substrate

Nutrient-rich preferred

Feeds from

Both

Fertilizer needs

Medium

Colors

Green, Yellow

Feeding & breeding

Propagation

Cuttings

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Care guide

Overview

Cultivated from a European streambank species, this cultivar was selected for its coin-shaped leaves that turn gold under bright light and ample nitrate. It grows upright before branching along the midground or background, tolerating cool unheated setups better than warm tropical ones. Regular trimming keeps it compact, and fading toward green signals low light or nutrients rather than illness.

Care

Golden creeping jenny is a cool-water stem plant that does better in unheated or temperate setups than in warm tropical tanks, since it tends to weaken if kept hot for extended periods. Moderate to high light brings out the gold coloring in the leaves, while low light causes the foliage to fade toward plain green. It grows upright toward the surface before branching out laterally, and regular trimming keeps it from taking over the midground or background of the tank.

Planting & trimming

Trim a healthy lateral shoot, strip the lower one or two leaf pairs, and press the stem gently into fine gravel or a nutrient-rich substrate without crushing it. It can be planted in groups in the midground or allowed to reach the surface and trail as a background plant, and it also grows well emersed with roots in moist substrate along paludarium margins. Prune under the water surface with sharp scissors to control height and encourage bushier regrowth.

Fertilizing

This plant is a useful nitrate indicator, coloring up gold only when nitrate levels sit above roughly 5 mg/l, and reverting to green in nutrient-starved water. A nutrient-rich substrate or occasional root tabs help support strong growth, and liquid fertilizer with a good iron and micronutrient supply keeps new leaves developing steadily. Stunted growth or a lack of new shoots usually points to insufficient nitrate or trace elements rather than a lighting problem.

Propagation

Propagation is done by topping stems or taking side shoots and cuttings, then replanting them directly in substrate where they root readily. In paludarium or riparium settings it can also spread by creeping runners across moist surfaces above the waterline. Cuttings establish quickly under bright light and adequate nutrients.

Problems

Leaves can lose their golden hue and revert to green under low light or low nutrients, which is a normal response rather than disease. Kept too warm for long stretches, growth slows and stems can become weak or leggy. It rarely flowers underwater but may bloom if allowed to grow emersed above the waterline.

Sources

1. Creeping jenny Aurea care: light, CO2 and placement · TankBud
2. Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' - ABC Plants
3. Aurea (Lysimachia nummularia) | Fishkeeping World
4. Lysimachia nummularia "Aurea" – Golden Semi-Aquatic Plant for Aquariums and Paludariums

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