Myriophyllum aquaticum

🌿 Myriophyllum aquaticum

Myriophyllum aquaticum, commonly known as Parrot's Feather or Brazilian Watermilfoil, is a fast-growing aquatic stem plant famous for its lush, feathery foliage. It produces delicate, whorled leaves that create soft, fir-like columns underwater and dense emergent mats above the water line.

🌱 Growth & Appearance

This species forms thick, sturdy stems lined with finely divided, needle-like leaflets arranged in whorls. Submerged foliage appears vibrant lime-green to turquoise-green, while stems allowed to break the surface develop waxy, blue-green emergent leaves that repel water droplets.

Its rapid growth rate makes it exceptional at absorbing excess water column nutrients. Regular pruning triggers heavy side-branching, helping you form lush, feathery thickets that add remarkable depth and soft texture to the aquascape.

💡 Lighting & CO₂

Myriophyllum aquaticum thrives best under moderate to high lighting. Strong illumination keeps the stem nodes tight and prevents the lower portion of the stems from dropping leaves.

CO₂ injection is optional in low-tech setups, but providing pressurized CO₂ along with balanced water column fertilization accelerates growth speed and maintains full, healthy needle density.

🪴 Planting & Maintenance

Plant individual stems into a nutrient-rich substrate using fine tweezers, leaving small gaps between stems to ensure light reaches the lower nodes. To propagate, simply trim the top 4 to 6 inches of healthy stems once they reach your desired height and replant the cuttings directly into the substrate.

Due to its fast growth rate, frequent trimming is recommended to control height and prevent the plant from shading out neighboring slow-growing species.

🌿 Best Use

Myriophyllum aquaticum is an ideal background stem plant for aquascapes, Dutch-style layouts, and open-top tanks or ponds where stems can emerge above the waterline.

Its ultra-fine, needle-like texture offers a soft, natural visual backdrop behind broad-leafed plants or dark wood structures.

✨ Plant Profile

Difficulty: Easy

Growth Rate: Fast

Lighting: Medium to High

CO₂: Optional

Temperature: 15–26°C

Placement: Background

Growth Type: Stem Plant

Propagation: Stem Cuttings