TCulture Pogostemon Stellata (Pot)

A beautiful fine-leaved relatively large stem plant from the Asian tropics. When cultivated under water, the star plant has very narrow leaves growing in whorls, with a green to reddish purple colour. It is often sold in its emerged form and will assume its final submersed form when cultivated under water. Pogostemon stellatus needs strong light (not less than 0.5 W/litre), the addition of CO2 and a good nutrient supply. Micronutrient deficiencies may lead to pale leaves. The plant is a good indicator for the nutrient situation in the tank. Pogostemon stellatus requires higher temperatures (approx. 24-28 °C) and soft to medium-hard water. Growth may stagnate from time to time even though the conditions are good.

Common names
Water star

Synonyms

Dysophylla benthamiana Hance, Dysophylla stellata (Lour.) Benth., Eusteralis stellata (Lour.) Panigrahi

Complete botanical name

Pogostémon stellátus (Lour.) Kuntze

Family
Lamiaceae

Genus
Pogostemon

Difficulty
difficult

Usage
Background, Midground

Growth
fast

pH value
5 – 7

Temperature tolerance
15 – 32°C

Carbonate hardness
1 – 18°dKH

General hardness
0 – 30°dGH

Propagation
Cuttings

Can grow emersed?
yes

Pogostemon stellatus (star plant) for SG aquascapes

Pogostemon stellatus is a fine-leaved large stem plant that fans out very narrow leaves in whorls, taking on green through reddish-purple tones depending on conditions. It makes a soft, feathery background for nature and Dutch-style scapes. Often sold in its emersed form, it remaps into its true submerged look once it settles in your tank, so don’t judge the early growth too harshly.

This is a demanding plant and we are upfront about that. It needs strong light, CO2 and a generous, balanced nutrient supply; it is in fact a useful indicator plant, with pale leaves flagging micronutrient deficiency before other stems show it. It also prefers higher temperatures, which makes Singapore’s warm 27-29C tap water a genuine advantage here, no heater required, and our soft, acidic water suits it well.

Browse our background plants range, then read our Pogostemon stellatus care guide and our micronutrient deficiency guide to read its signals.