Eastern North America, from Ontario through the eastern and south-eastern USA to Florida
Water
freshwater
Maximum size
100 cm
Temperature
10–25°C
pH
6–7.5
Hardness
2–15 dGH
Care level
intermediate
Lighting
Medium to high light; CO2 helps underwater
Care
Saururus cernuus (lizard's tail) is a perennial of North American marshes, swamps and the edges of streams and lakes, often in shallow water and partial shade. Emersed, it grows 60–90 cm (up to about 1 m) tall, with heart- to arrow-shaped alternate leaves that smell of citrus when crushed and drooping spikes of small white flowers in early summer that brown with age. Underwater it grows as a slower, smaller stem plant (a submerged form was once described as f. submersus) and can be used in the midground. It is really a marginal plant, though, and does best in a pond margin, bog garden or paludarium. Plant stems in a nutrient-rich substrate. Water figures are our estimate, not from the sources. It is a temperate plant and suits ponds and coldwater tanks better than warm tropical aquaria. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saururuscernuus); Wikipedia, List of freshwater aquarium plant species. Checked October 2026.
Breeding
Spreads by underground rhizomes, which can run up to 3 m in the wild; divide rhizomes or take stem cuttings. It can also be raised from seed, which ripens in autumn.
Compatibility and tank mates
Suited to coldwater tanks, ponds and paludaria; it struggles long-term in warm tropical tanks. The leaves are fairly tough, but goldfish and koi may nibble young shoots.
Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.
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Members must be 16 or over to buy (16 and 17-year-olds with a parent or guardian’s agreement); sellers must be 18 or over.
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