Nymphoides aquatica, the Banana Plant, is native to the coastal plain waterways of the southeastern United States from Virginia to Florida, where it grows in still to slow-moving, warm, often acidic water. The plant is immediately recognisable by its cluster of elongated, bright-green, banana-shaped tubers arranged in a rosette at the base — these storage organs anchor the plant and fuel new leaf growth. From the tuber cluster emerge long petioles carrying small, rounded, floating leaves and occasional tiny white flowers.
In the aquarium, the Banana Plant is typically placed with its tubers barely resting on the substrate surface or very lightly pressed in — the tubers should not be buried, as they must remain exposed to absorb oxygen and nutrients from the water column. Under good light it produces both submerged leaves and eventually floating pads that reach the surface. It can also be floated with no substrate contact at all, where the roots hang freely.
This is an easy, cheerful, and characterful plant that appeals particularly to beginners and children encountering aquatic plants for the first time. It requires no CO2, minimal fertilisation, and adapts to a wide range of conditions.
