Vallisneria spiralis 'Leopard' – Spotted Jungle Vallis for Flowing Aquascapes
Vallisneria spiralis 'Leopard' is a unique and visually captivating variety of jungle vallisneria, admired for its narrow, grass-like leaves adorned with distinctive leopard-like spots. This fast-growing background plant is a favorite in both low-tech and high-tech aquariums for its hardiness and ability to create a lush, swaying underwater meadow that mimics nature's aquatic grasslands.
Whether you’re designing a natural riverbank biotope or looking to add movement and contrast to your aquascape, Vallisneria 'Leopard' offers an exotic twist with minimal maintenance.
✨ Key Features
-
Scientific Name: Vallisneria spiralis 'Leopard'
-
Common Name: Leopard Jungle Val, Spotted Vallisneria
-
Growth Form: Ribbon-like leaves with dark, leopard-like spots
-
Growth Rate: Fast under moderate to high lighting
-
Placement: Background or side/back corners of the tank
-
Light Demand: Low to medium
-
CO₂ Requirement: Not required, but will grow faster with CO₂
-
Tank Size Recommendation: Ideal for medium to large tanks
🌿 Optimal Growing Conditions
-
Temperature: 68°F to 82°F (20°C to 28°C)
-
pH Range: 6.5 to 8.0
-
Hardness: Soft to moderately hard water
-
Lighting: Low to moderate; spots become more prominent under higher light
💚 Aquascaping Benefits
-
Creates Vertical Flow: Adds elegant, vertical movement that mimics natural currents
-
Hides Equipment: Perfect for masking filters and heaters
-
Low Maintenance: Great for beginners and low-tech setups
-
Provides Shelter: Offers hiding space for small fish and fry
🌱 Propagation & Growth
-
Reproduction: Propagates by sending out runners, forming dense colonies over time
-
Nutrient Substrate: Not required, but growth is enhanced in nutrient-rich substrates
-
Can Be Grown Emersed: No, this is a fully aquatic species
📦 What You’ll Receive
-
Bare-root plants | Approx. 2–3 loose plants
-
Bunched plants | Approx. 2–3 plants bundled with foam and lead weight
-
Potted plants | Approx. 2–3 plants in a net pot with rock wool
🔒 Disclaimer
Pictures are sample representations. Actual plants may vary slightly in color and size depending on growing conditions. We do not guarantee all aquatic plants will be pest-free, pesticide-free, or grown submerged or emersed.
⚠️ State Restrictions Notice ♻️ Be a Responsible Aquatic Plants Owner
Please never release Vallisneria—or any aquatic plant or animal—into local waterways. While not considered invasive in most areas, Vallisneria can spread rapidly in natural habitats. Dispose of unwanted plant material 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:
-
Weather conditions
-
Livestock health
-
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:
-
Alaska
-
Hawaii
-
Puerto Rico
-
Guam
-
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:
-
Weather conditions
-
Carrier delays
-
High shipping volumes
-
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:
-
Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
-
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:
-
Credit / Debit Card
-
PayPal
-
Apple Pay
-
Google Pay
-
Amazon Pay
-
Shopify Pay
-
AliPay
Orders returned due to:
-
Incorrect address
-
Refused delivery
-
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:
-
Live plants
-
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 healthy with "rich deep olive color" and quick growth. Many noted rapid spreading via runners and adaptability to various tank conditions. Some experienced initial leaf melting from cut tips, requiring nutrient-rich substrate and root tabs for optimal growth. Red coloration requires high light.
- Really rich deep olive color. Incredibly healthy - no sliminess or translucent foliage at all!
- Sending out tons of runners and the leaf growth is noticeable daily.
- The most beautiful plant in my tank, packing was great, also took right off
C
Nice addition to 20g long planted aquarium. Plants arrived quickly and were pretty healthy. Trimmed the brown and yellow decaying ends after several days of planting. Tank is soil substrate and micro dose one pump/day of thrive-s. Lots of new rich green growth from this one after one week, the other one is slower to develop, but doing okay.
C
Plant was very nice and healthy-looking when it came in, I was excited. However, I bought it as a complete plant newbie, and thought it could thrive planted bare-root in pure eco-complete (very coarse) substrate, in a relatively low-light tank (duckweed cover & cheap light), in hard water, pH 8, around 70-75F (unheated), and understocked with a few root tab pieces and occasional water column ferts added. The Val started off by melting back from the tips of the leaves, which arrived cut :( See photo 3. It would be nice if APF could not cut the Val leaves, as they should know this causes them to melt! I quickly learned that Val is **very** sensitive about damage to its leaves, so warning: if any leaf gets damaged enough (e.g. from rubbing against a filter intake or some wood, etc.) that entire leaf might melt all the way back!!! HOWEVER, despite my relatively nutrient-poor substrate & suboptimal light levels, and the melting sensitivity, the plant has steadily continued improving over the last few months since I began to add more root tabs, moved things around to give it more light and space to grow without rubbing its leaves on things. So FINALLY the plant is thriving, despite growing a lot more slowly than it probably would with more nutrient-rich substrate and more light. A smaller baby plant I separated out at the beginning has simply melted off & not grown back still beyond tiny, 1 inch leaves. All the leaves shown in 2nd photo are from today, all new growth from since I got the Vals. Despite my challenges, I'm giving 4 stars because APF did say nutrient-rich substrate is "required" and I might have had much better luck if I had taken that to heart earlier, giving regular root tabs, instead of trying to supplement water-column (Val doesn't respond to this, seems to feed from roots ONLY). Also, I've had great luck from APF with other plants, and I actually plan to order more of this exact plant from APF now that I've finally troubleshot it successfully! But don't expect any red from this plant without high light ... all you will see is a slightly speckled pattern throughout the leaf! See photo 1 for detail. I don't care and still think it's beautiful that way!
M
This val has a lot of interesting colors and patterns going on, and a very nice form. The plant came in great shape, and the perfect size for a 10 inch tall tank. My ghost shrimp love it.
G
Usps took seven days too deliver ,but plant was well wrapped and survived the trip.plant is as advertised and after acclimating will be a beautiful addition to the tank.
J
It arrived looking really healthy, and took to my tank right away.
No co2, water column ferts only, and planted in pure sand.
I plan to slowly replace my corkscrew val with this as it grows in and starts sending out runners, its just so pretty.
B
The plants were very green and fresh. Ive ordered from APF many times always top notch. Quick delivery too
O
Plant came in a bundle in sealed bag. Only list a couple leaves so was pretty satisfied with this plant. Ended up separating the bundle to spread it.
T
Finally the post office delievered ON TIME! This batch held up well and are quite lovely. Looking forward to seeing them fill out and glow tall.
C
I bought two packs of the bare root plants for a 65g pleco tank and was really surprised how beautiful these are even at such a young stage. The plants I received were about 6-10" tall and a really rich deep olive color. Each pack had about 4 plants and were incredibly healthy - no sliminess or translucent foliage at all! I cannot wait for these to take off in my tank!
c
Really happy with the shipment, everything arrived looking great!
D
Over all very happy. I was a little surprised at how fast it took off in my new tank it's already spread runners out
S
The leopard Val that arrived is super healthy as ALL plants that APF sells to us are, I mean seriously the best of the best quality every time. My leopard Val does not have the red coloration yet but I saw it was just cut to fit in the box, and does have the leopard print on its leaves. I can only assume the red will come as the plant regrows. I got 3-4 plants per order of the loose bare root plant options which IMO is phenomenal. The LFS charge 5-15 dollars a PIECE for Val let alone a rarer kind. Very very happy with that and there were about 8 leaves per plant. You really can’t ask for more, not sure how they would fit 2 foot Val into a 6 inch box with other plants either so completely OK with the no red yet, it will come.
D
After shipping, these guys bounced back and are thriving. I'm getting a lot of new growth that's bright green and I'm still trying to bring out some of those deeper reds, but I love the slender leaves. I planted these under my larger Valisernia, and they look great. They're shooting new growth everywhere and looking great. Highly recommend this!
A
The plant arrived healthy and is doing great a little over a month later. It’s sending out tons of runners and the leaf growth is noticeable daily. The shrimp love hiding in it, I constantly find molts.
O
The order of Leopard is plenty and all mine came in healthy no complains!!
M
This plant arrived in very good shape and was very well packaged. It's been a few weeks and it has grown a couple of inches already and has also sent up a new off-shoot! Thank you very much!
R
My betta loves it a lot. Definitely will buy again!
P
Love this plant It's a great size, healthy and very nice looking. Will definitely buy again from this company.
M
I have ordered plants on six different occasions which amounted to around 70 different plants and I could not be any happier. I had one plant come in that was dead and was issued a credit immediately no questions asked. With this company you can count on one thing they have integrity and should be the industry standard, great job keep up the good work, a loyal customer.
G
The plant arrived in good condition. It's too early to give an honest review though. Please check back in a few weeks.
S
The most beautiful plant in my tank , packing was great , also took right off
K
This is my favorite grass plant. Received healthy, nice-size plants. Even without C02 you can get the beautiful red color, as long as you have high light. Love!
M
Plants arrived healthy. Couldn't be happier.
M
All of the plants arrive healthy and in very good condition there was one exception and I immediately got a replacement two days later very good customer service beautiful plants
L
How tall does this one generally get? I have a 10 gallon tank.
Like all Vallisneria, it can grow very tall. No matter how tall your aquarium is. It always grow to the top of your aquarium then it will flow with the water current.
Recommended for You
Frequently Asked Questions
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
!
