# Baby Tears (micranthemum umbrosum) Growing Out of Tank



## Luffy (Aug 23, 2012)

So, I went to the lfs the other day and asked for rotala indica. Well, I didn't watch the worker grab the plants and when I got home I ended up pulling a mystery plant out of the bag. Turns out it's Baby Tears. My tank is an open top 10 gallon NPT (soil substrate, low tech, low light) and the plant is just taking off. Right now it's starting to grow out of the water and I kind of like how it looks. Anybody got any experience with Baby Tears growing out? Is it a bad idea to just let it keep growing? I've heard that some plants start to do strange things once you let them escape the waterline.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I haven't grown this plant, but it can't hurt to let grow emersed for a while. If you don't like it, just cut it back.


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

Emersed plants do strange things? They change shape but I know of only one plant you don't want to let grow out of your tank (H. balsamica). As long as it doesn't dry out, emersed plants can be very beautiful!


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

@Luffy: Are You sure it's Micranthemum umbrosum? I can't imagine this small tender plant growing out of the water easily when it's not forced by very low water level.
Could You post a photo?


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## Luffy (Aug 23, 2012)

Johan: Strange things like attacking tank viewers with poisonous darts, growing emo haircuts, you know... plant stuff  I like grow-out tanks too, so pretty! I just want to do it with the right plants and avoid rookie mistakes if possible. This is my first tank that's not a betta bowl so I'm super cautious.

Miremonster: From what I've seen it looks pretty similar to baby tears (not the tiny ones but the bigger kind with two leaves per node). Here are a couple pictures so that you might be able to tell me what it really actually is.

from a distance:









close up:


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

Looks more like Lysimachia nummularia to me...


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## Luffy (Aug 23, 2012)

Oh, creeping jenny! In that case it might get some nice flowers if it grows out. I've seen it used as ground cover in backyards. This could be a great grow-out plant


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Thx for the pics! But I believe it's rather Clinopodium cf. brownei: 
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ls.php?id=311&category=genus&spec=Clinopodium
It can be easily distinguished from Lysimachia nummularia by minty smell of crushed leaves, tetragonal stem and somewhat notched leaf margin.
It also develops nice flowers, but they look like this: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showpost.php?p=476500&postcount=1


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## Luffy (Aug 23, 2012)

You know, I think you're right on that one miremonster! When I got it it had these little shriveled old dead flower stems on it that look a lot like they used to be like those flowers. Next time I have to do a trim I'll smell it to see if it indeed is minty. Hopefully it does flower because those purple hues are pretty nice!


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

You're right miremonster, it looks even more like Clinopodium cf. brownei. Never seen the plant before so it didn't came to mind. I found a similar plant over here in the Netherlands. Also a very strong mint smell but more purple. Nice and easy plant to grow out of your tank if it behaves anything like mine!


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Hello Johan,


Yo-han said:


> I found a similar plant over here in the Netherlands. Also a very strong mint smell but more purple. Nice and easy plant to grow out of your tank if it behaves anything like mine!


Interesting; is it a terrestrial plant, or can it grow submersed? Till now I didn't find purple leaf colour on the Clinopodium cf. brownei available here in Germany (except the flowers that can be purple). If Your plant was sold as garden or pot ornamental: Clinopodium (or Micromeria or Satureja) douglasii, "Yerva buena", looks similar and smells like peppermint, too.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

p.s.
If the Netherlands one is a native plant, it might be Mentha aquatica or a related Mentha species. Considerably bigger than Clinopodium cf. brownei.


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