Nymphoides Aquatica / Banana Plant

Common Name: Banana Plant, Banana Lily

Banana Plants are tenacious little fore- or mid-ground floaters that add a delightful detail to any hobbyist’s aquarium. This plant can be characterized by it's long stems with light to dark green rounded/heart shaped leaves grown from a base of swollen green tubes which resemble a bunch of bananas. These plants are quite popular both because they are easy to care for, and for their distinctively charming look. The banana plant’s tubers pop especially well against a black or dark substrate. They can be left to float or planted into the substrate, but don’t bury the plant’s tubers more than ¼ inch. They prefer calm water. If left to float, they will start to grow white roots that reach down into the substrate, anchoring the plant.

Banana plants are also called banana lilies, for their stems will quickly shoot to the top of your tank and the leaves will float like lily pads. If left, they can blossom small white flowers. Although beautiful, leaving them to grow like this can seriously restrict light to other plants in your tank. To avoid this, prune the leaves occasionally or plant the banana plant into the substrate. You can propagate new banana plants from the pruned leaves, which is a bonus because these plants don’t live all that long.

Banana plants are adaptable and resilient, making them a great choice for community tanks. They can grow with range of lighting conditions, but will grow faster with moderate/high lighting.

Family Name: Menyanthaceae

Origin: Southeast United States

Height: 4-6”

pH: 6-7.5

Care: Easy

Light: Moderate

Co2: Not necessary

Propagation: Trimmed leaves floating on surface of water will sprout roots

Growth rate: Medium