Pogostemon stellatus (octopus)
Pogostemon stellatus
PlantsFreshwater
- Care level
- Easy
- Maximum size
- 50 cm
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 6–7.5
- Light
- Medium
- Diet
- Photosynthetic
Care at a glance
Pogostemon octopus is the easy, coarse-leaved form of Pogostemon stellatus: long, narrow leaves in whorls around a sturdy stem, waving under water like tentacles. It grows fast and big, easily reaching fifty centimetres, which makes it a true background plant.
Unlike the fussy red stellatus forms it asks for little: medium light and a normally fertilised substrate are enough, and CO2 only speeds things up. Top it regularly, otherwise it stretches to the surface and shades the rest. The cut tops root within a week.
Related species
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Values are mainstream hobbyist guidance, not gospel — always watch what your own animals need.