Cardamine lyrata

Family
Brassicaceae

Common Names
Japanese Cress, Chinese Ivy

Origin
East Asia; these plants are found in China, Japan and Korea.

Propagation
This is a very easy plant to propagate, cutting can be taken from anywhere on the plant and once re-planted; they will develop a root system and grow into new plants. Before planting the cuttings remove the lower leaves to reveal a bare stem and carefully place into the substrate without crushing the stem in the process. Water born roots will develop on the plant above the substrate as well, in some cases the cutting will be floated at the top of the tank to create shady areas for the fish.

Difficulty
Easy

Short Description
This is not a very demanding plant but the lighting must be bright and the temperature must never exceed the accepted parameters or it will become leggy and the leaves will be under developed. It does best when planted in groups but do not plant too close together else the plants will compete for the light.