Want a stem plant that stays in the foreground? Lobelia cardinalis 'Mini' is the dwarf form of the Cardinal Plant — tight internodes, small rounded bright green leaves, and a low horizontal habit that holds a clean edge when trimmed. The full-size species runs to the background; this one does not.
What You’ll Receive
Sold as loose fresh-cut plants, bunched plants, or potted plants:
- Fresh-Cut Plants: Approximately 3 individual, loose-cut stems without root
- Bunched Plants: Approximately 3 stems without root bundled with foam and a plant weight
- Potted Plants: Approximately 3 stems without root potted in rockwool and net pot
Plant Profile
- Common name — Dwarf Cardinal Plant, also known as Mini Cardinalis
- Scientific name — Lobelia cardinalis 'Mini'
- Placement — Foreground to midground
- Mature height — 2–4 in
- Growth rate — Medium
Care
- Difficulty — Intermediate
- Light — Medium to high. Strong light keeps the internodes tight
- CO₂ — Recommended, not required
- Water — 68–82°F · pH 6.0–7.0
- Substrate — Required. Root and water column feeder
- Growth habit — Amphibious. Grows well emersed in paludariums and wabi-kusa
- Propagation — Stem cuttings and side shoots
Grower’s Notes
- Light controls the shape, not trimming. Under strong light the internodes stay short and it grows as a compact bushy patch. Under weak light it stretches, and no amount of cutting brings the compact form back.
- Trim early and often. Each cut forces side shoots, and it is that branching — not the original stems — that creates the dense manicured look it is bought for.
- Replant the tops rather than keeping bare bases. Cuttings root readily, and side shoots will root too.
- It is one of the better plants for crisp geometric rows in a Dutch layout, because it holds an edge instead of sprawling.
- Some melt during the emersed-to-submersed transition is normal. New growth follows within a couple of weeks.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Lobelia Cardinalis Care Guide.
Notes
- Photos are for reference; leaf size, density and color vary with lighting and nutrients.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
At a glance
- Free shipping on orders of $150 or more (after discounts) within the contiguous United States, by USPS.
- Free thermal protection is included with every shipment, all year round.
- Processing: most orders leave us within 1 to 2 business days. Tracking is emailed when your order ships.
- USPS (2 to 5 business days) ships Monday through Saturday.
- UPS 2nd Day Air® ships Monday through Wednesday. Order by Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- UPS Next Day Air® ships Monday through Thursday. Order by Wednesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and military addresses ship by USPS at a flat rate shown at checkout.
- Weather holds: during extreme heat or cold we may hold live orders until it's safe to ship.
- We ship within the United States only.
Please bring live plants indoors and unpack them the day they arrive. Every live order is covered by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee.
The complete rules, including lost packages and address issues, are in our Shipping Policy. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Every live order is backed by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives dead, we'll make it right.
How it works
- Tell us within 24 hours of the delivery time on your tracking.
- Send photos of the affected items in their original, unopened packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label, to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com with your order number.
- We'll make it right with a replacement, store credit or refund for the affected item.
Good to know
- Some melting or yellowing as plants adjust from greenhouse to aquarium life is normal. They regrow from healthy roots and rhizomes.
- Please bring your package indoors and unpack it the day it arrives.
- Free promotional items and shipping charges are not covered.
The complete rules, including what's covered and what voids the guarantee, are in our Returns, Refunds & Live Arrival Guarantee. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
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 vibrant aquatic plant for arriving healthy with "dense, lush clumps" and fast growth. Most noted excellent packaging and condition. Purple coloring transitions to green when fully submerged. Some experienced leaf melt during acclimation, and a few reported shipping damage or dead leaves. Overall, shoppers found it easy to grow.
- Dense, lush, clumps of this species.
- They've already rooted nicely and have added maybe an inch to their length.
- Looks exactly like the picture, quality is great. No signs of melting.
R
Bought this twice it was so good. First time I got this plant it was amazing two mid size chunks in very good condition. Second time I ended up with 5 smaller pieces and they had maybe 30 - 40 % dead leaves but are doing well in the tank with minimal to no melt off.
S
All of the plants I ordered arrived a little later than projected but where still in good shape. The lobelia all had nice, healthy looking leaves with variegated colors. All have been planted and so far are doing okay 3 days later.
R
They look so good. I love that purple tinge to it. Great will definitely buy again from here!
D
Never see so beautiful plants before. Love it!
K
This is the way they look in my tank.
G
I absolutely LOVED this plant when it arrived. It came with such a beautiful purple color. Unfortunately many of those leaves died off and the new growth is green. I don't have it near the surface of the water so I expected that but I still wish it had kept the pretty purple leaves! 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!
N
Received very nice healthy portions, just as pictured. Plants are growing great without CO2. In just a couple weeks I'm seeing lots of new growth, will be very easy to propagate.
__original.jpg?quality=80&width=1024)
B
Great quality arrived fast
A
Lobelia Cardinalis Mini
C
Arrived pretty fast, but came in damaged from usps. Caught the worker throwing it on camera. You could look at the plants i ordered, and could tell it was thrown around. All but half a stem died. But im hoping that half makes it. It definitely is a pretty plant. Its currently in a dry start tank with the rest of the order, and seems to be making a comeback
J
I planted the Lobelia Cardinalis Mini in a fairly new tank about 2 weeks ago. They've already rooted nicely and have added maybe an inch to their length. I couldn't be happier!
D
Plant was delivered quickly and in good shape. APF is a great place to get aquarium plants!
S
Very nice. Growing in very nicely.
W
No complaints at all. Plants came healthy and well kept. Not a single dead one at all. Not to mention the early delivery. Will buy from them again in the future.
R
The most adorable compact I have. I absolutely adore it. Super nifty.
A
Dense, lush, clumps of this species.
J
Great looking plant. Well packaged, very healthy
E
The shipment came in on time and are in good shape.
D
Grows very fast looks great on the sides of rocks or wood. Mine didn’t have any purple so I can’t review on it turning colors or not.
A
Very pleased with look
B
My plants came well packaged and lush. I will definitely be ordering from this store again!
C
As described and healthy. Great product
M
Giving 4 star because I bought 3 different plants and one was mush. However, this one was in nice shape and doing well in my daughters aquarium.
J
I'm giving this plant five stars because it arrived in excellent condition. I lost one stem to melt and have melt occurring on the rest, but my hope is that it just needs time to acclimate. I have it under med-high light, planted in FloraMax, with some ramshorn snails providing clean-up assistance with dying plant tissue. I do see new, bright green leaves sprouting on at least two of the surviving stems, so this should be a nice addition if I can get it to transition successfully into my tank. As long as one stem gets established and growing well, I can always make more of it!
M
Can't go wrong with this beautiful, vibrant, and happy to grow column feeder!
J
I ordered this lobelia based on the picture wine and after reading about it i found that it would usually stay purple when grown close to the surface of above water. The lobelia i received was a beautiful small clump with great roots and new growth and is still maintaining its lovely purple coloring!
S
I got so much of it! I love this plants it's beautiful. Looks exactly like the picture, quality is great. It's been 3 days, no signs of melting. I believe I find my new aquatic plant store! Very happy with my purchase, so much so I ordered some other plants from them just 2 days later.
Recommended for You
Frequently Asked Questions
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
!
