Pearl Rotala

Rotala sp. 'Pearl' is the name under which this small stem plant entered the hobby, and Flowgrow treats it as a synonym of Rotala macrandra 'Pearl', while hedging the relationship by calling the plant 'apparently a selection of Rotala macrandra'. The profile keeps that caution and holds the trade name rather than asserting the identification outright.

The wild type of Rotala macrandra comes from South India, and the cultivated selection stays compact by comparison: Pearl suits midground use and nano tanks, reaching about 15 cm. It is a strong-light plant — the culture data list light as high, an optimum temperature of 24 to 28 °C, a pH range of 4.5 to 7, and carbon dioxide levels of 20 to 40 mg/l. Flowgrow publishes no growth rate for this form, so the rate is left unstated. It propagates readily from cuttings, and it benefits from regular pruning to keep the low, bushy shape it is grown for.