View Full Version : baby tears leaf shape
The baby tears plant I have had nice round leaves on it when I purchased it. I have had it for several weeks now and it has been growing very nicely but all the new growth (since I put it in my tank) is long slender leaves. Why is this? I'd rather see the cute little round leaves.
lesley
07-15-2003, 4:16 PM
baby tears? do you happen to know the scientific name for this plant? The only baby tears that I know of is used as a garden groundcover.
Jeremy S
07-15-2003, 4:58 PM
lesley, there is a baby tears aquarium plant and its scientific name is Hemianthus micranthemoides. Beth, could you tells us what kind of substrate, what size of aquarium and how much light you have?
lesley
07-15-2003, 5:28 PM
darn. it's not the stuff in my yard. i thought i had just discovered a goldmine for my tank...
Starry
07-15-2003, 6:41 PM
That never was and never will be baby tears. It's a Mayaca! Possibilities are Mayaca sellowiana, Mayaca fluviatilis, Rotala spec. "Nanjenshan."
I bought a bunch of these at my LFS, and they were labelled "Mayaca." I was thinking "stupid pet shop people, don't know what they're talking about" but bought it anyway because they were cheap and looked good. They had little round leaves, a medium-green colour. The new growth came in as lighter green, needle-y leaves.
I never really figured out exactly what species they were, but the three above are possibilities. I've never seen a description of the emersed growth of any of these. The Tropica website (www.tropica.com) shows Rotala spec. "Nanjenshan" with both round and needle leaves, and also says that it used to be called Mayaca. We get a lot of Tropica plants here in Canada, so it's a possibility.
It's pretty plant, grows fast with good light, even without a lot of fertilization. The tips get reddish in strong light. Mine got red when they reached the top of the tank. They need frequent pruning. Trim from the bottom and replant the tops because they're too pretty to be snipped off.
I actually just threw my bunch away yesterday. They haven't been doing well for a few months. The algae was choking them, but is barely visible on my other plants. They were pretty when they were doing well though.
Good luck with yours
Just a side note: there's also Micranthemum umbrosum, which goes by the common name "baby tears." Adding to the confusion, H. micranthemoides is also referred to as "pearl grass" or "pearl weed." Whenever possible, try to get the scientific name of your plant when you purchase it. Unfortunately, most places won't provide any, and chain shops might not even give you a common name...