🌿 Persicaria sp. 'Sao Paulo' – Brilliant Magenta Smartweed from Brazil

Persicaria sp. 'Sao Paulo', also known as São Paulo Smartweed, is one of the most vividly colored aquarium stem plants available today. Originating from Brazil and likely a form of Persicaria hydropiperoides, this yet-unidentified knotweed species is prized for its intense magenta coloration when grown submerged under high light with ample nutrients and CO₂. At Aquarium Plants Factory nursery, we grow this plant in its emersed form, where the leaves remain dark to medium green—ready to undergo a dramatic color transformation once introduced to your aquarium.

Unlike commonly misidentified varieties such as Persicaria sp. 'Kawagoeanum', which are often mislabeled as "Sao Paulo," we offer the true, highly pigmented Persicaria sp. 'Sao Paulo', which stands out with striking reddish-magenta tones. It features strong, upright growth and minimal side branching. Left untrimmed, it can easily reach over 50 cm and may grow above the water surface to flower. For best visual appeal in aquascaping, we recommend maintaining it at 30–40 cm and grouping stems with some spacing for optimal light penetration and shape.

This species is moderately demanding and requires a nutrient-rich environment. It absorbs nutrients both from the substrate and water column. CO₂ supplementation and strong lighting are essential to unlock its full color potential. Over time, older stems may shed lower leaves and form water roots at the nodes. To keep it looking fresh, long stems should be replaced with terminal cuttings, as trimmed lower portions may not regrow vigorously.

🌟 Key Features:

• Scientific Name: Persicaria sp. 'Sao Paulo'

• Common Name: São Paulo Smartweed

• Origin: Brazil (likely Persicaria hydropiperoides)

• Coloration: Green in emersed form; intense magenta to reddish-purple submerged

• Growth Form: Upright stems with occasional branching at nodes

• Leaf Shape: Elongated, smooth-edged

• Ideal Placement: Midground to background feature

• Growth Rate: Fast

• Cultivation Method: Grown emersed at Aquarium Plants Factory

• Maximum Height: Up to 50 cm (trim to ~30–40 cm for best aesthetics)

🌱 Growth & Propagation:

• Lighting Requirement: High

• CO₂: Strongly recommended

• Substrate: Nutrient-rich substrate and supplemental fertilization

• Water Parameters:

  • pH: 5.0 – 7.0

  • Temperature: 18 – 30°C

  • Carbonate Hardness (KH): 0 – 14°dKH

  • General Hardness (GH): 0 – 30°dGH

• Propagation: Terminal and partial cuttings

• Can Be Grown Emersed: Yes

🪴 What You’ll Receive:

• Fresh-Cut Plants: Approx. 6 stems, loose and without roots

• Bunched Plants: Approx. 6 fresh-cut stems bundled with foam and plant weight

• Potted Plants: Approx. 6 fresh-cut stems potted in net pot with Rockwool

🖼️ Aquascaping Benefits:

• Delivers intense magenta contrast to green plant layouts

• Ideal for bold color accents in Dutch and nature-style aquariums

• Beautiful as a stand-alone group or background focal point

• Excellent choice for open-top tanks, paludariums, or wabi-kusa setups

• Adds structured vertical growth with flowing coloration

⚠️ Disclaimer:
This plant is shipped in its emersed form with green leaves. Once adapted to submerged conditions with sufficient lighting and CO₂, it will transition to its signature magenta coloration. Older stems may become bare—replace with healthy top cuttings for best display results.

🚫 State Restrictions Notice ♻️ Be a Responsible Aquatic Plants Owner
Never release Persicaria sp. 'Sao Paulo'—or any aquarium plant—into local waterways. Improper disposal can harm native ecosystems. Always discard plant material responsibly.

 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.

1. 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 
2. 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.

1. Due to the nature of the product. We don't guarantee our plants will be pests free. ( snails, algae, hitchhikers )
2. 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
3. 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!
4. 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.