Vernal water-starwort (Callitriche palustris) care guide

Group
Plants
Other names
Vernal water-starwort, Narrow-fruited water-starwort, Spiny water starwort, Callitriche verna, Callitriche fontana
Family
Plantaginaceae (plantain family)
Origin
Temperate and subtropical North America and Eurasia, with outlying records in Sumatra and Borneo
Water
freshwater
Temperature
5–22°C
pH
6.5–8
Hardness
5–20 dGH
Care level
intermediate
Lighting
Medium to high light; CO2 helpful but not essential in cool water

Care

Vernal water-starwort is a small aquatic plant of the northern temperate zone and the type species of the water-starwort genus, Callitriche. Botanists now place the genus in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae). It grows in shallow ponds, ditches and slow water, with fine, narrow leaves in opposite pairs along thin stems. Our sources say little about its use in aquariums. It is best treated as a coldwater or pond plant: plant bunches of stems in the midground of an unheated tank, or let it grow in the shallows of a wildlife pond. In warm tropical tanks it tends to weaken. Give it good light; the stems grow upwards and can form floating rosettes at the surface. Water figures are our estimate, not from the sources. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callitrichepalustris); Wikipedia, List of freshwater aquarium plant species. Checked October 2026.

Breeding

Take stem cuttings and push them into the substrate, or let broken pieces float until they root. In the wild it also sets small seeds from tiny flowers in the leaf axils.

Compatibility and tank mates

A soft, fine-leaved plant that goldfish, large cichlids and many herbivorous fish will graze. Safe with shrimp and snails, which mostly pick at algae on it. Best in coldwater tanks and ponds with fish such as minnows, sticklebacks or small goldfish that do not strip it completely; it suits tropical tanks poorly.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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