Genus:
Shinnersia
Type:
rivularis
Family:
Asteraceae (daisy family)
Hometown:
Texas to Mexico
Height of root with plant:
up to 70 cm
Light:
undemanding
Temperature:
15 – 30°C
Growth:
very fast
pH:
6 – 8
Degree of hardness:
all
Co2:
not mandatory
propagation:
cuttings
Difficulty:
very easy
Location in the aquarium:
midground to background
Look
Rs79, Shinnersia rivularis, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Mexican Oak Leaf is an upright stem plant. The submerged leaves are decussate and clearly indented. The shape is reminiscent of young oak leaves, which gave the plant its German name. Depending on the light intensity, the leaves have a light green to reddish brown color.
When the stalk reaches the water surface, the plant continues to grow, flooding. Ideally, the Mexican oak leaf will even grow above the surface of the water. These emersed shoots are densely covered with fine hairs and develop an approx. 1 cm large white daisy flower, which consists of up to 100 individual flowers.
distribution
The Mexican oak leaf is native to the subtropical climates of southern Texas and northern Mexico. Despite this rather small distribution area, the plant is highly adaptable in terms of water temperature.
In North America, the Mexican oak leaf is most commonly found in slow-moving waters, where it is found growing both submerged and emersed.
husbandry conditions
The Mexican oak leaf is a very undemanding and robust aquatic plant that is well suited for beginners. As with almost every plant, the addition of Co2 and higher light intensity have a positive effect on growth. However, neither is absolutely necessary for maintenance. The Mexican oak leaf also has a high tolerance range in which it can thrive when it comes to temperature, pH value or degree of hardness.
Since the Mexican oak leaf grows very quickly, it is particularly suitable for the rear regions of the aquarium. With cuttings, a dense forest of Mexican oak leaves can be quickly built up in the background. Because of the high growth, however, a step backwards must take place regularly.
If you put the Mexican oak leaf in shallow water, it will grow above the water surface and even start to flower. It is therefore also suitable for use in paludariums or aqua terrariums.
particularities
The Mexican oak leaf has been an integral part of aquaristics for many decades. Due to its undemanding nature, it was a grateful fosterling even in the early days of aquaristics with weaker light sources than today.
Due to this long-standing cultivation, there are various cultivated forms of the Mexican oak leaf. A white-green variant that is probably bred out of a virus infection is often found on the market. However, this special coloring can be lost at low light intensity.
Because of its high adaptability, the Mexican oak leaf even survives being exposed to nature in certain regions of Europe. So you should be careful with this plant in particular to properly dispose of excess shoots!