Blyxa alternifolia

Blyxa alternifolia is native to Southeast Asia and is botanically unusual within the genus Blyxa for producing leaves in an alternate arrangement along a gradually elongating stem rather than in the typical compact rosette. This gives it a more stem-plant-like appearance, with leaves of 15–30 cm arranged along an upright shoot that can eventually reach 30 cm or more. In the aquarium it creates a distinctive, slender silhouette that contrasts interestingly with rosette and broad-leaved plants. Like other Blyxa species it prefers warm, soft to moderately hard water and benefits from CO2 supplementation and moderate to bright light, though it is somewhat more forgiving than the demanding B. echinosperma.