Sold across the hobby as "Ammannia Bonsai", this plant is neither an Ammannia nor a bonsai — it is Rotala indica, and it grows short, thick and upright instead of the sprawling habit most Rotala takes. Round leaves stack close along a stiff stem and flush pink at the tips under stronger light.
What You'll Receive
- Enhance your aquarium with our versatile selection of high-quality aquatic plants, available in three convenient formats:
- Fresh-Cut Plants: Includes approximately 6+ loose, fresh-cut stems without roots. Perfect for flexible planting arrangements.
- Fresh-Cut Bunched: Approximately 6+ fresh-cut stems without roots, bundled with foam and a plant weight for easy placement.
- Fresh-Cut Potted: About 6+ fresh-cut stems without roots, securely potted in a net pot with rockwool, ensuring stability and healthy growth.
Plant Profile
- Common name — Ammannia Bonsai
- Scientific name — Rotala indica
- Also known as — Ammannia sp. 'Bonsai' (a trade misnomer), Rotala Bonsai
- Origin — Southern and Southeast Asia
- Placement — Midground
- Mature height — 4-10 inches
- Growth rate — Medium
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Medium
- CO₂ — Not required
- Water — 68-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5
- Substrate — Nutrient-rich soil or root tabs; also feeds from the water column
- Growth habit — Amphibious stem
- Propagation — Cuttings
Grower's Notes
- It grows straight up, which is why aquascapers use it. Rotala rotundifolia leans and curves toward light; this one holds a vertical line. That makes it one of the few stem plants that reads cleanly in a Dutch-style row.
- The name is wrong and worth knowing. It circulates as "Ammannia sp. Bonsai", but it is Rotala indica. If you search under the Ammannia name you will find care advice for a genuinely harder genus.
- Trim it low to keep it short. Cutting stems back to two or three inches forces side shoots from the base and keeps the group at midground height. Untrimmed, it slowly reaches for the surface.
- Pink tips need light, not CO₂. This grows fine in a low-tech tank; the color is what responds to intensity. Bringing the light closer does more for the tips than injection does.
- Plant stems individually. Six stems in one bunch rot at the wrapped point. Separate them and push each into the substrate half an inch apart, and they root within a week.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Rotala Care Guide.
Notes
- Pictures are not the actual plants you will receive, but a sample representation. Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be free of pests, and pesticides, grow emerged or submerge.
- 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 these aquatic plants for arriving "bright and happy" with excellent packaging. Most reported healthy specimens showing new growth within days, with some flowering underwater. One concern: stem length was smaller than expected (~1 inch vs typical size). Overall, shoppers found great quality and value.
- I received bright and happy plants.
- They started flowering underwater! Small little purple flowers!
- Plants already beginning to show new growth within 10 days.
S
This is a good-looking sturdy stem plant, I purchased them about 2 weeks ago, package was delivered 3 days later and very well packed. They went in to a holding tank and we're absolutely thriving from the start, didn't dose CO2 or ferts. It went into a relatively new tank (about a month old). Bonus, they also started flowering underwater! Small little purple flowers! I really want more of them
I
Was a day late but still looks healthy. Packaged very well. I love shopping here.
J
Great quality very happy with my purchase
T
I didn’t see any mention of it in the description but was surprised that the plants I received were maybe about an inch in length while I was expecting more of your typical stem length. That’s the only reason for the four stars otherwise they were healthy and most have already grown a somewhat decent amount.
I
Great!
J
Amazing
D
I received bright and happy plants.
H
Plants arrived very healthy
A
Such a cute plant. My juvenile Amano shrimp are extra happy.
T
I got my order today, Plants were amazingly packed for the long trip across the USA. I was concerned with the USPS being the carrier that I would get dead plants. The team at ADF made sure that did not happen! The plants where healthy and even showed new roots in transit. I am looking forward to my next order!
M
Arrived on time and healthy. Plants already beginning to show new growth within 10 days.
T
Good looking bundle arrived on time and plants are very healthy looking. I recommend
P
I was shocked at the condition the plants were in when they arrived. At first seeing the size of the box I was a little worried I got ripped off but once I unpacked them and put them in my tank I was thrilled they looked great and 1 week in they are still looking good!
S
This is a lovely plant with a sturdy stem, any other plants that have this quality? Should this be planted as a bunch or given and inch or so between them?
Glad you're loving it! Many stem plants share that sturdy-stem quality - things like Rotala rotundifolia, Ludwigia, and Alternanthera are similarly hardy. For planting, it's usually best to group a few stems together (roughly 3-5 per cluster) rather than spacing them individually - this gives a fuller, more natural look. Within a cluster you can plant them close together, and if you're doing multiple clusters across the tank, leaving an inch or two between groups works well.
M
Are these grown emersed or submerged in the water?
It depending on the season. But we usually have this plant grow above water.
C
Since this is a stem plant, and looks to be pretty sturdy, can it be kept in a tank that I'm doing dry start method in? Any mid ground or background plants you can suggest that allow me to do this?
This plant can grow above water (DSM). But i would suggest find something to cover the top of the tank to keep the moister in. The moister need to be at or above 50% at all time.
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