Featherfoil

Its feathery, finely divided leaves look like snow crystals under water, which is unusual for a temperate plant — most finely dissected aquatics are tropical. Hottonia palustris 'Red' is a colour variant of the European native featherfoil, selected for reddish stem tones that intensify under moderate light. In the wild it is a protected species in Germany, listed on the Red List, and may not be collected from natural sites.

This plant grows quickly but needs temperatures below 25 °C. In warm tropical tanks above 28 °C it becomes leggy and prone to melting, which makes it a better fit for unheated or cool-water setups. CO₂ is not required but produces denser, more compact growth. The subinfo header on Flowgrow rates the species as medium difficulty, mainly because of this temperature sensitivity rather than any particular demand for light or nutrients.

Also suited for outdoor ponds — the species is completely hardy in Central Europe and forms cushions in shallow water close to pond edges. Propagation is by cuttings: pinch off the top shoot and re-plant. The red variant adds a subtle warm tone that the standard green form lacks, without the intensity of a true red stem plant like Rotala or Ludwigia. No Flowgrow record documents the 'Red' colour variant, so this entry is flagged for review: the parameter set is a disclosed assumption taken from the parent species, not a source confirmation of this specific form.