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Glossostigma (Glossostigma elatinoides)
PlantCarpet

Glossostigma

Glossostigma elatinoides

New Zealand, southeastern AustraliaAdvanced

TL;DR, Glossostigma

The original aquascaping carpet, popularised by Takashi Amano. Tiny paddle-shaped leaves form a dense bright-green mat. Sister species to HC Cuba but slightly larger leaves and a touch more forgiving. CO₂ is non-negotiable; needs high light to stay flat, under-lit Glosso grows vertically.

Glossostigma (Glossostigma elatinoides) is a carpet / stem aquatic plant for the foreground of a planted tank. It reaches 1–3 cm under good conditions and grows at a fast rate. Light: high. CO₂: required. Target 20–26 °C, pH 5.5–7.0, and 1–10 dGH. Substrate: Fine, active nutrient-rich substrate (ADA Amazonia or similar). Propagate via cuttings / runners spread horizontally.

  • LightHigh
  • CO₂Required

Care at a glance

The original aquascaping carpet, popularised by Takashi Amano. Tiny paddle-shaped leaves form a dense bright-green mat. Sister species to HC Cuba but slightly larger leaves and a touch more forgiving. CO₂ is non-negotiable; needs high light to stay flat, under-lit Glosso grows vertically.

Updated 2 min read

Part of our complete guide to the planted aquarium.

Leaves yellowing, pitting, or new growth coming in pale or twisted? Work out what it’s short of in our plant deficiency guide.

Glossostigma (Glossostigma elatinoides)
Murray Fagg · CC BY-SA 3.0Source
Glossostigma (Glossostigma elatinoides)
Murray Fagg · CC BY-SA 3.0Source
Glossostigma (Glossostigma elatinoides)
Miriam Serrano Álvarez · CC BY-SA 4.0Source
Glossostigma (Glossostigma elatinoides)
Billtsai1518 · CC BY-SA 3.0Source

Hero photo by Murray Fagg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikipedia

Tank fit

The parameters that decide whether glossostigma fits in your tank.

Parameters

Temperature20–26 °C
15 °C20 °C25 °C30 °C
pH5.5–7.0
4.05.06.07.08.0
Hardness1–10 dGH
0 dGH5 dGH10 dGH15 dGH20 dGH25 dGH
Height1–3 cm
020406080
LightHigh
Low
Medium
High
CO₂Required
None
Optional
Recommended
Required
GrowthFast
Slow
Medium
Fast
V. fast
FlowLow to Medium
Still
Low
Medium
High
V. high

Profile

Family

Phrymaceae

Type

Carpet / Stem

Position

Foreground

Substrate

Fine, active nutrient-rich substrate (ADA Amazonia or similar)

Propagation

Cuttings / runners spread horizontally

Habitat

Damp lake margins of New Zealand and Tasmania

New Zealand, southeastern Australia

Kit for this plant

Who it lives with

Tank-mate safety and the species this one is documented to thrive (or fail) alongside.

Pro tips

Hard-won lessons from the tank.

The original 'aquascaping carpet' that Takashi Amano popularised in Nature Aquarium World. Dry-start method is the most reliable path — plant tiny clumps 2 cm apart on damp substrate, cover with film, mist daily, 8-hour light cycle. In 4–6 weeks you have a 90%+ complete carpet that transitions to submerged form when flooded. Slightly more forgiving than HC Cuba but still demands CO₂ and high light.

Things to watch for

What can go wrong and how to spot it.

Things to watch for

Failure modes, in order of how dramatic the fix is.

Nutrition

Common deficiencies

Tall vertical growth: insufficient light (this is the most common Glosso failure). Pale/yellowing: nitrogen + iron. Lifting carpets: substrate decay or CO₂ instability.

Algae

Algae issues

Hair algae loves Glosso just like HC Cuba. Stable CO₂, dialled-in lighting (60+ PAR at substrate but with 4–5 hour photoperiod during establishment), and good water flow prevent it.

How to care for it

The practical routine, read top to bottom.

  1. Fertilization

    Heavy CO₂ user; stable CO₂ at 30 ppm is non-negotiable. Active nutrient substrate (ADA Amazonia, UNS Controsoil, Tropica Aquarium Soil). Iron and macro EI-style dosing.

  2. Trimming

    Trim with sharp curved scissors every 2–3 weeks once carpet establishes. Aggressive horizontal pruning forces runner spread. Vacuum trimmings immediately — floating fragments root randomly and produce messy patches.

Background

Where it comes from, how it behaves, and the variants you'll see at retail.

Show background

In the wild

Where it lived before it came home.

See where the Glossostigma and every other species comes from on the species world map.

Origin · New Zealand, southeastern Australia

Wet meadows, lake shores, and shallow pools across New Zealand and southeastern Australia. Naturally grows partially emersed in muddy soil; the fully submerged form is largely an aquarium adaptation.

Emersed form

Vigorous emersed grower with slightly thicker oval leaves. Almost all wholesale arrives emersed via tissue culture; transitions to submerged within 2–3 weeks via dry-start or controlled flooding.

Flowering

Small white flowers emersed; never flowers submerged.

Variants & identification

The named cultivars and the lookalikes worth flagging.

Variants / cultivars

Only one form is sold in the hobby — G. elatinoides. Sometimes confused with G. diandrum (a slightly different species rarely available).

Misidentification

Often confused with HC Cuba — Glosso leaves are larger oval-paddle-shaped at 5–8 mm vs HC's 2–3 mm round. Marsilea hirsuta in clover-form is occasionally mislabelled.

Frequently asked questions

Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.

Does Glossostigma need CO₂?

CO₂ requirement: required. Light requirement: high. Under stable injected CO₂ the plant grows at a fast rate.

What light level does Glossostigma need?

Glossostigma (Glossostigma elatinoides) needs high light. Run a photoperiod of 6–8 hours; longer photoperiods invite algae unless CO₂ and dosing are dialled in.

Where should Glossostigma be planted?

Position: foreground. Substrate: Fine, active nutrient-rich substrate (ADA Amazonia or similar) It typically reaches 1–3 cm.

How do you propagate Glossostigma?

Propagation method: Cuttings / runners spread horizontally. Glossostigma is a carpet / stem plant.

What water parameters does Glossostigma tolerate?

Target 20–26 °C, pH 5.5–7.0, and 1–10 dGH. Flow tolerance: low to medium.

Is Glossostigma suitable for beginners?

Difficulty: 4/5. Advanced, demands dialled-in CO₂/dosing or precise water chemistry.

Sources & further reading

More plants

Adjacent specimens in the catalogue.

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Cross-references

Build the rest of the tank.

A planted tank is a system. Pair this plant with one entry from each other pillar to plan the whole scape.