Subclass Asteridae ( Asteridae )
Order Lamiales ( Lamiales )
Family Lamiaceae, or Labiatae ( Lamiaceae )
Genus Pogostemon — Pogostemon.
Eusteralis stellata. Pogostemon stellatus — Pogostemon stellatus (Eusteralis stellata).
“1” Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Australia. Stands out for its beautiful shape and color. Height 15-25 cm. Width 10-20 cm. Marsh plant with erect or ascending shoots. Stem is naked or very slightly pubescent, grooved. Leaves are narrow, whorled, up to 9 cm long, up to 5-6 mm wide, arranged in a decussate pattern around the green stem, internodes are relatively short.
If the plant is in a normal physiological condition, the leaf blades are entire, pointed at the tip, showing a clearly defined serrated margin, without perforations, the upper side ranges from light green to yellow-purple, while the underside is colored purple-red, leaf margin ranges from dentate to serrate. Difficult to grow in aquariums. Even under good conditions, it sometimes suddenly stops growing. Very small specimens grown in marsh conditions are usually available for sale, so until the plant is placed in an aquarium, it is impossible to see it in all its glory.
— Pogostemon stellatus “Narrow Leaved”; — Pogostemon stellatus “Broad Leaf”; — Pogostemon stellatus “Needle Leaf”; — Pogostemon stellatus “Octopus”, with very elongated narrow leaves, less rigid;
“2” Prefers soft water with a sufficient level of CO2 saturation, prefers a low nitrate level (good appearance of the plant indicates this), soft water (dH 2-3°; KH 3-5), pH 6.5-7.5, high lighting intensity, and a temperature within 22-28°C. Water must be very clean. High-intensity lighting and nutrient-rich substrate are necessary for healthy development.
“4” A nutrient-rich substrate is desirable. A lack of trace elements leads to pale leaves, which can serve as a sign that the aquarium needs fertilization. Eusteralis stellata, according to many enthusiasts, is considered an exemplary indicator of the presence of a full complex of trace elements in the water, especially iron. When it is lacking, the leaf blades acquire a yellowish tint. But as soon as the necessary element is added in a dissolved form, the plant transforms, acquiring unique colors: the upper surface of the leaves turns bright green within a day or two while simultaneously glowing with the crimson, almost purple redness of the underside.
“5” Difficult to grow in aquariums, requires intensive lighting and CO2 fertilization. Even under good conditions, it sometimes suddenly stops growing. This large plant is well suited for the background: height up to 50 cm, bush width up to 15 cm. Eusteralis looks gorgeous when it reaches the water surface. After separating the top of the shoot, many side shoots form on the part left in the substrate. They need to be thinned out, otherwise the leaf whorls will become smaller over time. The succulent stem can easily break during transplantation, so care must be taken.
To prevent the shoots from interfering with each other, they should be planted singly and at a sufficient distance from one another. Large plants are very well suited to act as solitary specimens. Grows quickly under good conditions. Disadvantage: eusteralis has an unpleasant property of changing its growth point every 10-15 cm of stem length, the “bend” occurs due to minor deteriorations in maintenance conditions.
“6” Propagation by cuttings. After the eusteralis has reached the water surface, a straight top 10-15 cm long is cut off and planted in the substrate. After cutting the top, the mother plant produces quality shoots only under very good maintenance conditions.
Identification: Pogostemon stellatus — Pogostemon stellatus.
Pogostemon helferi, Little Star — Pogostemon helferi.
“1” (Eng. – Downoi, Pogo, Little Star, Aqua Star). Native to Thailand, where it grows along the banks of rivers and streams. Height 4-10 cm, usually 5-6 cm. Width 5-10 cm. An unusual and noticeable aquatic plant, very compact, with curly leaves of a strikingly beautiful green color. It is a stem plant, and roots can grow from all sides of the stem. Leaves are pointed in shape, colored in a rich green color and shiny on the “front” side, reaching a width of 3-6 mm and a length of 5 cm. The leaf edges are wavy and arranged in such a way that when viewed from above, the bush resembles a small star. It is enough to see these wavy-edged, bright green leaves once to remember them and avoid confusing Pogostemon helferi with other plants.
“2” It needs a very stable environment. It does not like sudden changes in water parameters and massive water changes. The plant can even die from this. The plant is very vulnerable to algae. Do not plant Pogostemon helferi in a new, unestablished aquarium. Water hardness can vary quite a bit; it grows both in soft water and water with a hardness up to 20°dH. Aquarists successfully grow Pogostemon at pH 7 and dKH 4° with intense lighting.
In addition, CO2 stimulates rapid development, but it is not strictly necessary; without it, it simply grows more slowly. It requires quite strong light in the aquarium. If you want to keep the plant low and compact, you must provide intense lighting. When lacking light, Pogostemon begins to stretch like a stem plant; Pogostemon also begins to stretch and thin its leaves in the presence of excess phosphates and nitrates, and this happens quite quickly, in about 3-5 days. This plant feels very well at a temperature of 22-28°C.
“4” This plant prefers a very nutrient-rich substrate, additional saturation of aquarium water with CO2, and systematic fertilization with micro- and macro-elements. Nutrients are absorbed mainly through the roots. The substrate layer thickness should be from 3 cm. Nitrate levels must be monitored very carefully; the plant tolerates increased levels poorly. With iron deficiency, new leaves appear yellowish.
“5” This is a foreground or midground plant. They look soft, but are actually quite hardy, although they can be easily broken. Plants should only be planted in an established aquarium. The small bushes are planted in the substrate in groups at a distance of 3-5 cm from each other. Thus, a uniform carpet is quickly formed. During the prolonged adaptation of the plant to new conditions (about 3-4 weeks), Pogostemon drops old leaves (although this does not always happen) and slowly begins to throw out new shoots and grow gradually. But if the water suits it, in about a month you will not recognize Pogostemon, new leaves will grow quite quickly. Under normal conditions, Pogostemon is a low and squat plant, somewhat resembling a cone.
Under good lighting in a nutrient-rich substrate, it forms many side shoots that develop small roots, and the plant quickly forms an impressive carpet of vegetation, which is very valuable for a foreground plant. However, it should be noted that herbivorous fish consider this plant a delicacy. Pogostemon cannot be called a “carpeting” plant. Nevertheless, with sufficiently bright lighting, it can be planted in the foreground. In bright light, the stem of the plant does not stretch at all, and it takes the form of a compact rosette.
The main thing is not to transplant the plant very often. Plant it immediately so that the plant does not float up and cannot be pulled out by fish. Pogostemon attaches very well to lava rock; its roots penetrate the pores of the lava and securely hold the plant. With a sufficient amount of light and normal content of macro- and micro-elements, Pogostemon grows sideways. This happens as follows: when the Pogostemon bush becomes lush and relatively large, the lower leaves gradually die off, and the stem near the substrate begins to bend, lies on the substrate, and releases roots, after which new bushes begin to grow from the stem, resulting in very beautiful thickets of Pogostemon.
“6” In the aquarium, offshoots look the same as the mother part, and they receive nutrients through their already developed root system. When Pogostemon grows well and produces babies, they can be safely cut off and planted in another place in the same aquarium; the sprout tolerates this quite painlessly and begins to grow within a week. You can also cut off the main bush and leave the stem with sprouts untouched; this will not harm the plant.
If the plant needs to be planted in another aquarium, then you should take stronger plants that have at least 3 tiers of leaves; then Pogostemon will adapt more quickly to the conditions of its new home in the new environment. For a cut plant that will be transferred to another aquarium, if it does not have side roots, the lowest leaves should be shortened to a size of no more than one centimeter; they will act as an anchor and prevent the plant from floating up.
Utricularia graminifolia, Utricularia vulgaris, Utricularia gibba.
Vallisneria gigantea, “Rubra”, spiralis, “Tortifolia”, “Red”, “Tiger”. 
