Micranthemum Glomeratus (Pearl Weed)

Want one plant that can be a carpet or a hedge? Pearl Weed does both — trimmed low it creeps sideways into a fine bright-green mat, left alone it grows upright into a bushy column. Few plants change role that completely depending on how you cut them.

You may know it as Micranthemum micranthemoides or Hemianthus micranthemoides. Those are the same plant — see the note below.

What You’ll Receive

Enhance your aquascape with our premium-quality Micranthemum glomeratus, available in three flexible planting formats:

• Fresh-Cut Plants: Approx. 6+ unrooted, loose fresh-cut stems – flexible for custom layout
• Fresh-Cut Bunched: Approx. 6+ unrooted stems bundled with foam and plant weight for easy placement
• Fresh-Cut Potted: Approx. 6+ unrooted stems securely potted in a net pot with rockwool for stable growth

Plant Profile

• Common name — Pearl Weed, also known as Pearl Grass, Baby Tears
• Scientific name — Micranthemum glomeratus
• Also known as — Micranthemum micranthemoides, Hemianthus micranthemoides (both outdated)
• Origin — Florida
• Placement — Foreground to midground
• Shipped size — Approx. 6+ fresh-cut stems, roughly 2-4 in
• Mature height — 2–4 in trimmed, taller left upright
• Suits — 5 gallons and up
• Growth rate — Medium

Why two scientific names?

Pearl Weed was sold for decades as Micranthemum micranthemoides (also written Hemianthus micranthemoides), and most aquarists still know it by those names.

Micranthemum micranthemoides was a real species from the tidal river margins of the eastern United States. It has not been recorded in the wild since the 1940s and is considered extinct. The plant circulating in the hobby under that label was correctly identified in 2011 as a different, living species — Micranthemum glomeratus, from Florida.

So the plant you receive is Micranthemum glomeratus: the same Pearl Weed you have always bought, correctly named.

Care

• Difficulty — Beginner
• Light — Medium. More light gives tighter, denser growth
• CO₂ — Not required. It carpets faster with it, but does not need it
• Water — 68–82°F · pH 6.0–7.5
• Substrate — Required. Nutrient substrate makes a visible difference
• Growth habit — Amphibious. Also grows emersed in paludariums
• Propagation — Cuttings — trim and replant stem tops

Grower’s Notes

• Trimming decides what plant you get. Cut it back repeatedly and it branches sideways into a carpet. Leave it and it climbs into a soft green bush. Decide which you want before planting, because the two need different spacing.
• Don't bury the stems deeply. They are fine and rot if pushed too far into substrate — plant just enough to hold them.
• Replant the trimmings. Cut tops root readily at the nodes, so one portion fills a foreground over a couple of months at no extra cost.
• In a nano tank its tiny leaves work as a background filler as well as a carpet — unusual flexibility for a single species.

Prefer the sterile format? See Pearl Weed Vitro Culture, free of snails and algae.

Want to go deeper? Read our complete Micranthemum Care Guide.

Notes

• Images shown are sample representations only. Live plants may vary in size, color, and form based on growing conditions. Unless stated otherwise, plants may arrive in emersed form and are not guaranteed to be pest- or pesticide-free.
• 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.