Stefan.lefnaer, Lysimachia nummularia sl1, CC BY-SA 4.0
key data
Attitude:
easy to care for and unproblematic
Breed:
creepers
Size:
35cm to 40cm
Temperature:
15ºC – 25ºC
pH:
7 – 7.5
GH:
12 °dH – 16 °dH
CH:
3 °dH – 7 °dH
Look
Pennywort (Lysimachia nummularia) got its name from its small rounded leaves that resemble an old penny. Other common names are coin weed or penny loosestrife. Arranged in pairs on the stalk, the plant forms an extraordinary number of leaves, as many as coins jingle in a purse. Lysimachia nummularia belongs botanically to the myrsia subfamily, to the primula family and to the order of the heather family.
The evergreen coinwort and forms long creeping shoots on the ground. In the aquarium, the shoots straighten up and reach a length of up to 40 cm. In addition to simple green leaves, the cultivated variant Lysimachia nummularia Aurea has golden yellow leaves, which gave it the name gold pennywort.
distribution
Pennywort grows as a low marsh plant in Europe, North America and Asia. Their natural habitat is on the banks of small streams, in riparian forests and wet meadows. The ground cover grows creeping along the edges of ponds and in swampy areas, under water but also upright and hanging in window boxes. Pennywort forms small yellow flowers only in air, not under water. These bloom from May to August. In the aquarium, coinwort is suitable for contrast planting and for forming attractive rows of plants.
husbandry conditions
Pennywort adapts to the environment. It thrives equally well in hard and soft water and is characterized by rapid growth. Therefore, regular fertilizer applications are required. If the mint weed grows faster than expected, the scissors can be used without a guilty conscience. Propagation is by cuttings with at least five pairs of leaves. The light requirement of the aquarium plant depends on the water temperature. The higher the temperature, the more brightness is required. If there is too little light, the shoots shoot up, but remain rather bare and the leafy green loses intensity. Pennywort must be trimmed regularly. This is an essential maintenance measure. A cut can be made at any time.
particularities
Pennywort is suitable as a background plant due to its rapid growth in the aquarium. It quickly forms dense groups of plants and is permanently suitable for cultivation under water. In addition, the all-terrain plant is a group plant. Despite the long stems, pennywort does not appear bare because the leaves grow along the entire length of the stem. The native aquatic plant loves cooler water between 10 °C and 25 °C. Chewy will not thrive in a tropical aquarium. Lysimachia nummularia removes pollutants from the water so that algae growth is limited.