🌿 Hygrophila Pinnatifida — Unique Fern-Like Aquarium Stem Plant
Hygrophila pinnatifida is one of the most distinctive aquatic plants available for freshwater aquariums. Native to India, this beautiful species features deeply lobed, fern-like leaves that develop shades of green, bronze, reddish-brown, and even purple under stronger lighting. Unlike most stem plants, Hygrophila pinnatifida can be grown both rooted in the substrate or attached directly to driftwood and rocks, making it an excellent choice for creative aquascaping.
Its unique growth habit allows it to spread horizontally while producing vertical shoots, creating a natural, wild appearance in Nature Aquariums, Iwagumi, Jungle, and Dutch-style layouts. Although CO₂ is not required, stronger lighting and additional CO₂ will encourage compact growth, richer coloration, and faster propagation.
🌟 Key Features
Scientific Name: Hygrophila pinnatifida
Common Name: Hygrophila Pinnatifida
Native Origin: India
Plant Type: Stem Plant / Rheophyte
Growth Habit: Upright, creeping, or attached to hardscape
Leaf Color: Green, bronze, reddish-brown, to purple depending on conditions
Lighting Requirement: Medium to High
CO₂ Requirement: Optional but highly recommended for best color
Growth Rate: Medium
Placement: Midground, Background, or attached to driftwood and rocks
Difficulty Level: Beginner to Intermediate
🧪 Optimal Growing Conditions
Lighting: Medium to High
Temperature: 68–82°F (20–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Water Hardness: Soft to Moderately Hard
CO₂: Optional, but improves compact growth and coloration
Fertilization: Regular liquid fertilizer with micronutrients and potassium recommended
Substrate: Nutrient-rich substrate preferred when planted, but not required when attached to hardscape
💡 Aquascaping Benefits
-
Unique deeply divided leaves unlike most stem plants
-
Beautiful bronze, red, and green coloration under strong lighting
-
Can be attached to driftwood, rocks, or decorations like Anubias and Bucephalandra
-
Produces creeping runners that create a natural forest appearance
-
Excellent contrast plant for Nature Aquarium and Jungle layouts
-
Easy to propagate through stem cuttings and side shoots
🌱 Propagation & Growth
Propagation: Easily propagated by stem cuttings or separating side shoots.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Nutrient Substrate: Recommended but not required.
Can Be Grown Emersed: Yes — commonly cultivated emersed in commercial nurseries and adapts well after submersion.
📦 What You'll Receive
Choose from a variety of planting formats to suit your layout:
- Small Bare-Root Plants: Includes 1 small rooted plant, perfect for attaching to driftwood, stones, or décor.
- Fresh-Cut Plants: Approximately 2–3 fresh-cut stems without roots for flexible planting arrangements.
- Fresh-Cut Bunched: 2–3 fresh-cut stems bundled with foam and a plant weight for quick placement.
- Fresh-Cut Potted: 2–3 fresh-cut stems securely potted in rockwool and a net pot for stability and continued growth.
⚠️ State Restrictions Notice ♻️ Be a Responsible Aquatic Plant Owner
Never release Hygrophila pinnatifida or any aquarium plant into local waterways. Dispose of unwanted plants responsibly to help protect native ecosystems. Always check your local and state regulations before purchasing aquatic plants.
🔒 Disclaimer
Pictures are for reference only and may not represent the exact plants you will receive. Unless otherwise stated, we do not guarantee plants to be pest-free, pesticide-free, or grown submerged. Most plants are cultivated in emersed form and will naturally transition to submerged growth after being introduced into your aquarium.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
-
Weather conditions
-
Livestock health
-
Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
-
Alaska
-
Hawaii
-
Puerto Rico
-
Guam
-
U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
-
Weather conditions
-
Carrier delays
-
High shipping volumes
-
Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
-
Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
-
The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
-
Credit / Debit Card
-
PayPal
-
Apple Pay
-
Google Pay
-
Amazon Pay
-
Shopify Pay
-
AliPay
Orders returned due to:
-
Incorrect address
-
Refused delivery
-
Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
-
Live plants
-
Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
WHAT WE GUARANTEE
24 Hours Live Arrival Guarantee* - In a rare case of live stocks dead on arrival, we must be notified within 24 hours by the same day of delivery. Please take clear photos of the damaged product and send it to us within 24 hours. Live Arrival Guarantee will be void after 24 hours of delivery. All replacements are considered final and we will not replace the replacement.
- Picture requirements: Take at least 2 clear photos of damaged product in their original, unopened & sealed transparent packing and send photos and orders information to our email within 24 hours: aquariumplantsfactory@gmail.com
- Please do not take picture of damaged plants, or animals in your aquarium. Once they have been introduced to your aquarium's ecosystem. It is no longer covered by our guarantee.
Please be aware that our Live Arrival Guarantee is subject to certain conditions. Specifically, the guarantee will not be applicable in cases where the package is marked as 'invalid address', 'undeliverable' or is 'returned to sender.' This includes situations such as a vacant delivery address, a missing apartment number, or any other issues that prevent the postal service from delivering your package.
It is crucial to provide accurate and complete shipping information to ensure the successful delivery of your order and the applicability of the Live Arrival Guarantee.
Please keep in mind that Live Arrival Guarantee only guarantees that live stocks will be alive upon arrival. We cannot guarantee that you will continue to have success with them. Many factors, including the aquarium environment, water quality, nutrient, temperature, lighting, filter, and CO2 system, can contribute to the failure to grow live plants and live animals.
WHAT WE CAN'T GUARANTEE
Even though our plants are very clean, but we can't guarantee they will be 100% pest-free because we cannot be responsible for your aquarium. Please use it at your own risk. We recommended all customers rinse the plants with clean water and quarantine them before use.
However, plants in tissue culture will be 100% free from pests, algae and never have been contacting with any aquarium.
- Due to the nature of the product. We don't guarantee our plants will be pests free. ( snails, algae, hitchhikers )
- We don't guarantee our plants will be free of pesticides. We use homemade, organic pesticides in our greenhouse to control pests. We do not use pesticides that contain copper. Copper is toxic to invertebrates such as aquatic snails, crabs, shrimps, etc
- We don't guarantee your aquarium success or are responsible for your aquarium inhabitant including but not limited to fish, shrimp, snail, turtle, etc. So please quarantine all plants when use!
- Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be grow emerged or submerge.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised this aquatic plant's "fern-like leaves" and healthy arrival condition. Most reported plants arrived "clean, no snails or algae" with excellent packaging. Shoppers noted fast growth and easy propagation. Some mentioned initial leaf melting during adjustment, and a few received smaller stems than expected. High CO2 and lighting enhance red coloration. Overall, customers were satisfied.
- Fern like leaves leave an impression. Clean no snails or algae.
- One of the nicest looking plants for sure.
- Arrived healthy, vibrant & beautifully packaged.
C
Fern like leaves leave and impression. Clean no snails or algae. Crypt. Lucens pictured. Quarter dollar for size reference.
t
The stems came in smaller than other plants but for a cheap price I got 4-6 stems that will grow fast and are easy to propagate. One of the nicest looking plants for sure.
J
plants arrived healthy and well rooted.
A
Fantastic look and adds great texture. The plants I received are healthy and pest free.
M
Like always received healthy, pest free plants. For some reason I was expecting this plant to be like a sword with a root base, a stalk, then leaves at top. What I got was more like a stem plant. It had roots along stem. Wasn't really sure how to plant it so just went for it. Ordered 2, received 3 but I think one could probably be divided into a 4th plant. Much smaller than i expected. Leaves are really neat and color is dense. Will be interesting to see how these progress as I think they are supposed to get large.
A
The hygrophila I received was full and healthy. I attached several stems to rock using aquarium glue & left the remaining stems loose in my tank to see how well they do. I’m hoping they will thrive because they look fantastic and serve as a great background plant for fish to hide in.
L
They arrived quickly, well insulated, and in great shape! That says something for Texas in July!
M
I was nervous about buying since I'd gotten a completely different plant when trying to order this from a different store, but this was gorgeous!
E
If you guys always provide selection and quality to these standards, I’ll never have a reason to shop anywhere else!
G
All the plants in my 55g tank are from Aquarium Plants Factory and as you can see, they've all grown SO much since I received them! (For reference, I don't use CO2 and they've still done extremely well!) And maybe I lucked out, but all the plants were/are snail free!
K
these arrived nice and three days later still look great
J
Very easy to plant and look great surrounded by my rocks! Great APF product
T
The beautiful plants are picture perfect. I could not be happier .Thank you so much.
M
Arrived quickly and healthy. Attached to some driftwood and vampire shrimp loving the coverage. Can't wait for the reds to start popping out.
E
It was well packed and arrived healthy and very pretty.
C
The plants arrived in great shape and packaged very well.
I was a bit bothered that they were cuttings instead of a rooted plant.
I am hoping they will take and root quickly in my tank.🤞🏻
L
This is a gorgeous plant with a fern like structure. It has been in the aquarium a week and I am already seeing growth and hints of red. It has a sturdy stalk and the fish love to swim inside its canopy.
J
They arrived very promtly, I believe there were 3-4 stems in the package. Leaves were all a very nice green and overall healthy looking.
The pinnitifida has acclimated well to my tanks and are still doing great over the past month, I've seen new growth on all of the stems and have even been able to take a propogation cutting on one of them.
Some of the new leaves on the plants closest to the light have gained a nice red coloration to the veins which adds a very nice contrast.
I do not run co2, but I do use both liquid ferts as well as a nutrient substrate, and am only using an LED shoplight rated for 1000 lumens on my 33 gallon long, so I would consider this to be an easy difficulty low tech plant.
If you are looking for an easy, great looking plant with an interesting leaf shape, defintiely consider picking up some hygrophila pinnatifida.
C
They arrived a day early and were packaged well . Got the fresh cut potted plants. They looked very healthy and they look great in the 2 aquariums i put them in. Now just hoping that they take root w/o any problems.
a
Unfortunately they arrived five days late thanx t the carrier but thanx t the excellent packaging the plants seem okay. Got them in right away and fingers crossed.
A
Hygrophila Pinnatifida
J
So many offshoots looks so nice
S
Loving this little plant. Very happy with it.
N
I received the hygrophilia pinnatifida during a cold period and aquaticplantsfactory had them packaged in a thermal protection that I believe helped keep them in a healthy condition when they arrived. The plants seem to be adjusting well to my aquascape and I received a generous portion. I will be ordering from them again.
Recommended for You
Frequently Asked Questions
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
!
