Plant Profile
Micranthemum Micranthemoides, aka Pearl Weed, is a bright green, soft-textured aquatic stem plant native to North American wetlands. Featuring tiny round leaves that make it look like it's constantly having a good hair day, it grows fast and adapts to just about anything you throw at it: keep it trimmed low for a creeping foreground carpet, let it mound up in the midground, or leave it alone entirely and watch it turn into a towering background bush. Think of it as the low-maintenance friend of the carpeting-plant world, forgiving enough for beginners while still forming a lush green matrix that gives shrimp and fish fry plenty of places to hide.
Tissue Culture cups ensure your aquascape gets a super clean starting point. Lab‑grown and fully sterile, it arrives without pests, snails, duckweed, or any unwanted algae. It’s the go‑to option for anyone who wants peace of mind when adding fresh greenery to a carefully maintained setup.
Key Features & Benefits
- Versatile growth habit trains into a foreground carpet, midground hedge, or background forest.
- Beginner-friendly and adaptable to both low-tech and high-tech setups.
- Dense leafage acts as a natural nitrate sponge and shelter for fry and dwarf shrimp.
Care & Planting Instructions
-
Thoroughly wash away the nutrient gel from the roots with your fingers before parting it out into manageable portions.
- Use fine-tip pinsettes to plant small stem clusters 1 inch apart into aquarium soil.
- Provide medium-to-high lighting for compact, bushy horizontal carpet growth, or moderate light for looser vertical growth; while adaptable in low-tech tanks, adding pressurized CO2 and quality aquarium soil yields maximum density and speed.
- Maintain stable water parameters and avoid sudden environmental shifts to prevent melting or rotting.
- Trim stem tops with curved scissors to shape into desired forms, and group several trimmings together to replant into substrate to expand coverage. Read our trimming & propagation guide for details.
Quick Facts
Listed information should be treated as general guidelines only. Team Buce Plant encourages you to do thorough research to ensure healthy growth!
| Attribute |
Specification |
| Scientific Name |
Micranthemum micranthemoides (syn. Hemianthus micranthemoides) |
| Common Name(s) |
Pearl Weed, Micranthemum Micranthemoides, Pearl Grass |
| Family |
Scrophulariaceae / Linderniaceae |
| Plant Type / Taxonomy |
Tissue Culture Stem / Carpeting Plant |
| Care Difficulty |
Easy / Beginner |
| Light Requirement |
Medium to High |
| CO2 Requirement |
Optional (Recommended for fast, carpet-like density) |
| Placement / Usage |
Foreground Carpet / Midground Bush / Background |
| Height / Size |
2–6”+ |
| Growth Rate |
Moderate to Fast |
| Water Parameters |
pH 6.0–7.5 | Adaptable to wide range |
| Propagation Method |
Cuttings (Group stem trimmings and replant) |
| Origin |
North America |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why are the lower leaves falling off my stem plants?
Lower leaf loss (leggy stems) usually occurs when lighting cannot reach the bottom of the plant due to overcrowding or shading from larger plants. Spacing individual stems slightly apart during initial planting and maintaining strong light penetration will keep lower leaves healthy.
2. How do I make Pearl Weed UNS Tissue Culture grow as a low foreground carpet?
To keep Pearl Weed low and spreading horizontally like a carpet, provide high light intensity, pressurized CO2, and perform frequent light prunings with curved scissors. Trimming forces the stems to sprout horizontal lateral runners along the substrate.
3. How do I prepare Pearl Weed UNS Tissue Culture before planting?
Carefully remove the gel from the roots by washing the plant in a bowl of room-temperature water or gently rinsing it under a tap. Once the gel is removed, separate the dense cluster into smaller clumps or individual stem bundles and plant them into substrate using fine pinsettes.
