Myriophyllum Aquaticum (Parrot's Feather)

Quick facts

Identity

Also known as

Parrot's feather; Brazilian watermilfoil; Red-stemmed parrot feather

Synonyms

Myriophyllum brasiliense; Myriophyllum proserpinacoides

Environment

Freshwater

Native to

South America (Amazon Basin and southern regions)

Habitat

Shallow wetlands, slow-moving streams, canals, lake and pond margins, rooted in soft mud with stems trailing to the surface

Sourcing

Captive-bred

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Easy

Growth form

Stem

Max height

4 – 16 in (10 – 41 cm)

Spread

6 in (15 cm)

Growth rate

Fast

Placement

Background, Midground, Floating

Water

Temperature

64 – 82 °F (18 – 28 °C)

pH

6.0 – 7.5

GH

3 – 16 dGH

dKH

2 – 14 dKH

PAR

40 – 80 PAR

Flow

Low-Moderate

Light

High

CO₂

Beneficial

Planting

Substrate

Nutrient-rich preferred

Feeds from

Both

Fertilizer needs

Medium

Colors

Green, Blue, Red

Feeding & breeding

Propagation

Cuttings

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Care guide

Overview

South American wetlands and slow canals of the Amazon Basin are the source of this whorled stem plant, now grown almost entirely as female clones propagated by cuttings. Submersed stems stay soft and green, while emergent growth turns stiffer and blue-green under strong light. Fast-growing and easy, it needs regular trimming and careful cutting disposal to avoid spreading outdoors.

Care

Parrot's feather is easy to grow in a wide range of water conditions, tolerating both soft and moderately hard water and a broad temperature span, though it performs best in bright light with rich substrate. Given a strong light source and an open top it will grow past the waterline, forming the stiff, blue-green emergent foliage that gives the plant its feathery look, while submersed growth stays softer and more uniformly green. Regular trimming keeps stems from tangling and shading the rest of the layout, and any node left in the water will root, so pruned cuttings need to be disposed of carefully rather than discarded outdoors.

Planting & trimming

Plant stem cuttings directly into fine gravel or nutrient-rich substrate, burying the lower node while leaving the growing tip exposed, and space stems a few inches apart to allow light to reach lower foliage. It adapts well to both fully submersed setups and open-top tanks or ponds where it is allowed to emerge, and trimming the tops regularly encourages bushier, more compact growth rather than long leggy stems reaching for the surface.

Fertilizing

Growth is fast in nutrient-rich water, and the plant draws heavily through both roots and water column, so root tabs in the substrate paired with a balanced liquid fertilizer support the strongest growth. Iron supplementation helps maintain leaf color, and pale or thin emergent growth usually signals a lack of light or macronutrients rather than a specific deficiency. CO2 injection is not required but noticeably speeds up growth and produces denser, more compact stems.

Propagation

Propagation is done almost entirely by cuttings, since flowering plants outside South America are exclusively female and produce no viable seed. Any stem fragment containing a node will readily root in substrate or even float and root at the surface, making it one of the easiest aquatic plants to multiply, though this same trait makes uncontrolled disposal of trimmings a serious invasive-species risk in outdoor waterways.

Problems

Lower leaves on older stems tend to thin out and drop as the plant reaches for the surface, which is normal rather than a sign of disease, and is best managed by replanting fresh cuttings from the healthy tips. Mechanical damage from digging or burrowing fish can uproot the shallow-rooted stems, so a stable substrate and some protection around new plantings helps establishment. Because it grows so quickly, algae can build up on the older, slower-growing lower portions of the stem if light or flow is uneven across the tank.

Sources

1. Parrot's feather care: light, CO2 and placement · TankBud
2. Parrotfeather [Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vellozo) Verdecourt]
3. Myriophyllum aquaticum (Parrot Feather) – Care, Propagation & Aquarium Use
4. Myriophyllum aquaticum ("Normalform") - Parrot's feather - Flowgrow Aquatic Plant Database

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