Ludwigia palustris 'Super Red'
The premium red stem plant. Stays deep crimson-burgundy from top to bottom under high light and iron, unlike standard Ludwigia which only colours up at the tops. Less demanding than the rotala reds. The fastest path to a 'Dutch street' red wall.
Ludwigia 'Super Red' (Ludwigia palustris 'Super Red') is a stem aquatic plant for the midground to background of a planted tank. It reaches 15–40 cm under good conditions and grows at a medium rate. Light: low to high. CO₂: optional to recommended. Target 20–28 °C, pH 5.5–7.5, and 2–15 dGH. Substrate: Nutrient-rich substrate + iron-rich water dosing. Propagate via cuttings.
Care at a glance
The premium red stem plant. Stays deep crimson-burgundy from top to bottom under high light and iron, unlike standard Ludwigia which only colours up at the tops. Less demanding than the rotala reds. The fastest path to a 'Dutch street' red wall.
By Mike ElmiraUpdated 2 min read
Part of our complete guide to the planted aquarium.
The parameters that decide whether ludwigia 'super red' fits in your tank.
Onagraceae
Stem
Midground to Background
Nutrient-rich substrate + iron-rich water dosing
Cuttings
Cultivated red form of Ludwigia, wild kin in tropical American swamps
Selectively bred from L. palustris (global temperate)
Tank-mate safety and the species this one is documented to thrive (or fail) alongside.
Hard-won lessons from the tank.
For the deepest red: target 60+ PAR at substrate, dose iron 3× weekly, maintain CO₂ at 30 ppm, keep nitrate 5–15 ppm. Replicate a 'Dutch street' bushy red wall by topping and replanting weekly for 4–6 months. The most forgiving 'true red' stem plant — easier than rotala reds with more reliable colour retention.
What can go wrong and how to spot it.
Failure modes, in order of how dramatic the fix is.
Loss of red, green tops returning: low iron — increase iron dosing immediately. Pale leaves: nitrogen + iron. Stretchy upward growth: insufficient light. Stunted: CO₂ instability.
Rapid growth outcompetes algae. Slowing growth (often from CO₂ inconsistency) precedes BBA attachment.
The practical routine, read top to bottom.
Iron-heavy water column dosing is essential for red retention. CO₂ at 30 ppm enhances colour and growth speed. Macro EI dosing for the fast growth phase. Root tabs accelerate establishment but aren't strictly required.
Top weekly under high light. Cut just above a node and replant top cuttings. The bottom stem produces lateral shoots from the trimmed node within days.
Where it comes from, how it behaves, and the variants you'll see at retail.
Where it lived before it came home.
Selectively bred cultivar derived from L. palustris (which occurs globally in temperate wetlands). The 'Super Red' line was developed in commercial European nurseries to maximise red colour retention from base to tips under aquarium conditions.
Stiff oval leaves, green-with-red-undersides emersed. Submerged form develops the full crimson colour across both surfaces. Tissue culture typically delivers emersed plantlets.
Small yellow flowers emersed; doesn't flower underwater.
The named cultivars and the lookalikes worth flagging.
'Super Red' (most common — Tropica's commercial line), 'Mini Super Red' (compact variant, smaller leaves), 'Red Hybrid' (vigorous less-red alternative). L. glandulosa and L. inclinata are related red species with slightly different shapes.
Various 'super red' Ludwigias from different breeders may be slightly different cultivars but all behave similarly. Ludwigia palustris 'super red' from Tropica is the gold-standard reference.
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
CO₂ requirement: optional to recommended. Light requirement: low to high. Under low-tech conditions the plant grows at a medium rate.
Ludwigia 'Super Red' (Ludwigia palustris 'Super Red') needs low to high light. Run a photoperiod of 6–8 hours; longer photoperiods invite algae unless CO₂ and dosing are dialled in.
Position: midground to background. Substrate: Nutrient-rich substrate + iron-rich water dosing It typically reaches 15–40 cm.
Propagation method: Cuttings. Ludwigia 'Super Red' is a stem plant.
Target 20–28 °C, pH 5.5–7.5, and 2–15 dGH. Flow tolerance: low to medium.
Difficulty: 2/5. Forgiving, beginner-friendly once the tank is cycled.
A planted tank is a system. Pair this plant with one entry from each other pillar to plan the whole scape.
