🌿 Nymphoides aquatica – Banana Plant Bulb for Unique Aquascaping
Nymphoides aquatica, commonly known as the Banana Plant, is a distinctive and eye-catching aquatic plant named for its thick, banana-shaped tubers that store nutrients. Native to the southeastern United States, this plant is popular in freshwater aquariums for its unique base structure and delicate, lily-like floating or submerged leaves.
Sold as a small bulb, this listing may include bulbs with or without leaves depending on the growth stage and season. Whether leafed or dormant, each bulb is ready to establish and thrive in a well-lit, nutrient-rich aquarium environment.
🌟 Key Features:
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Scientific Name: Nymphoides aquatica
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Common Name: Banana Plant
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Growth Habit: Rosette-forming with floating or submerged leaves
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Unique Appearance: Banana-like tubers and lily-shaped leaves
🌱 Growth & Propagation:
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Lighting Needs: Moderate to high light for optimal growth
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CO₂ & Fertilizers: CO₂ not required but responds well to liquid fertilizers
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Growth Method: Rooted bulb
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Nutrient Substrate: Not required; grows well on gravel or sand
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Can Be Grown Emersed: No
🖼️ Aquascaping Benefits:
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Adds bold visual interest with its unique tuber shape
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Produces charming round leaves that may reach the surface over time
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Great focal plant for nano tanks or the foreground/midground in larger layouts
📦 What You’ll Receive:
Sold as 1 small bulb, either:
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With Leaf: Bulb showing one or more sprouted leaves
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Without Leaf: Dormant bulb ready to sprout under proper conditions
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Some bulbs may arrive without leaves due to natural dormancy. This does not indicate poor health. Simply place the bulb on top of your substrate (do not bury), and new growth should emerge within 1–2 weeks under proper lighting and conditions.
🚫 State Restrictions Notice ♻️ Be a Responsible Aquatic Plants Owner:
Before purchasing, please review your local laws regarding aquatic plants. Never release live plants into natural waterways, as they may disrupt local ecosystems. Always dispose of trimmings and unwanted plants responsibly.
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:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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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:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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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:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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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:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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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:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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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:
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Live plants
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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 for arriving "very healthy" with strong bulbs and excellent packaging. Most reported rapid growth with new leaves and roots sprouting within days. A few experienced leaf wilting during acclimation or received plants with mold/yellowing, though some attributed issues to shipping conditions or accidental orders.
- These are healthy and beautiful. Roots are already sprouting and I could not be happier!
- After a couple weeks it has over 10 leaf stalks and a large root system. Amazing plant!
- I have never before had such healthy banana plants as these. They are superb.
R
These are healthy and beautiful. Roots are already sprouting and I could not be happier!
R
The plant is thriving very well. New sprouts already. Thank you all so much for exceeding my expectations and delivering quality merchandise
D
Arrived healthy
See attached pic
B
2 weeks with my banana plant and one leaf is 3" diameter already. They arrived around three 1" size leaves . I moved one of the plants to find out it has 5" root too.
L
They are very healthy and beautiful plants. Will buy more from you. Thank you so much.
J
Came well packed and healthy. Bought 2 got 1 free. They are for guppy tanks.
J
Just created my very first 5 gallon Betta tank and researched all the beginner plants I could use and I have to admit this is my most "exotic" plant I have. I am really happy I bought this plant from apf! The plant arrive healthy and is now thriving in my tank. Had absolutely no issues with my plant purchase. I will be a repeat customer!
F
I love how this plant looks in my tank, and it arrived very green and healthy with no browning. Looked like it was growing sideways when I situated it in my tank, but just the next day it's already begun to grow upwards to the light, a good sign that it's acclimating fast :)
D
Wow, quick four day service from Cali to Wisconsin. My plant arrived healthy and much larger than expected. The bananas were over an inch long.
Always satisfied from this aquarium plant company.
F
arrived quickly and in great condition. Acclimating to my tanks perfectly
T
This plant is very prolific, after two days it's already growing
K
I got this for my 10 gallon betta aquarium . It started sprouting roots & growing the same day I put it in my tank . I absolutely love it , I will definitely purchase more of these in the future .
j
I recieved what has to be the best looking banana plant I've ever seen. Very full, very healthy. Great addition to my panda cory tank.
S
I ordered two of these banana lilies for my betta tanks (June 2020). They shipped promptly and arrived when expected, and were in good shape when they got here - good color, no damage. They've been in my tanks almost 3 days now, and seem to be adjusting well. No evidence of parasite snails at this time, which is always a concern when buying plants. Before my order even arrived, I received an email letting me know that if there were any issues I was welcome to contact the seller.
E
The banana plant looks healthy and is even beginning to sprout new leaves a couple days after it arrived
A
The plant is still alive, a month after it first arrived. I noticed that if the plant's environment changes there is a good chance the leaves will die out and new foliage will grow.
g
Arrived fast and healthy! I can already see some growth
L
The banana lily arrived in good condition. They have been in the tank for 5 days and I am seeing growth in new leaves and root runners. Very pleased so far.
D
Interesting and unique plant! I received two beautiful and perfectly healthy little plants. Highly recommend ordering from aquarium plants factory.
M
Plants arrived in great shape and doing very well in the aquarium.. very happy with them.
B
Very healthy looking plants. This plant in particular arrived well packaged and in excellent condition. Has not sprouted leaves yet so time will tell? Highly recommend!
H
Nice, healthy big banana bulbs.
H
How long does it take for banana “no leaf” to grow new leaves ?
It’s depending on your aquarium environment and nutrient and light level. But typically in a good environment, they sprout new leaf within 2-4 weeks.
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