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[WheelsOC]

Okay that reference was a bit of a stretch.

 

Found a single example of Hydrocotyle verticillata growing along the silty shore of a small stream near my house (positively ID'd by the completeness of the leaf compared to other H. species that might have crept into the region). 

 

I did a search but there doesn't seem to be much written on this forum about it. Has anyone got some experience with this plant? I've seen the listings on retailer sites and read a few posts elsewhere, but most people seem to use H. leucocephala (Brazilian Pennywort) which has a different growing habit. Those who have used H. verticillata almost always employ some kind of "high tech" approach with supplemental CO2, fertilizers, and high lighting. I'd love to hear some other experiences with this one. Does it do okay as a floater in lower light conditions? Do the roots attach to hardscape? Does it have a kryptonite in the form of any particular water conditions?

 

Also, how might I best and most responsibly collect pieces from this one plant? I'd rather leave enough behind for it to keep growing and spreading. if I only take small cuttings, should I let them "grow out" a bit first before trying to use them in a tank? Would it be a good idea to cut and replant some pieces in situ to try and get more individual plants growing in the creek?

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[itsme]

It is almost certainly not the only specimen in that watershed.  Maybe first, do some hiking around and see how many plants you can find.  If you're a good propagator, you only need a small cutting to get it going.  it's obvious from it's current location, that it is a marginal, emergent plan that will be submerged and left dry successively as water levels change.  So the fastest way to increase whatever cutting you get would be to keep it in a pot or container with wet soil, but with the leaves above water where they can get maximal light and gas exchange.  I would also guess that a rich, high fertility, and maybe high clay content, soil would be best.  Of course organic matter (rotting vegetation) is always good for soil too, though it's not relished in a tank environment for other reasons unrelated to plant propagation.

[gzeiger]

This plant is not fully aquatic. Its leaves need to reach the air. It prefers to grow with the stems submerged, but can extend onto the very moist land right near the water as you have pictured. Each leaf node has roots on it, so as long as you get one leaf with intact roots it can grow. As always try to make a clean cut through the stem. They are very prolific. I put two pieces with a total of five leaves in my garden pond last summer (~July 2015), and last month I pulled out five pounds that was choking the waterfall. I'd guess there's another 40 pounds of it growing in there.