Egleria fluctuans

The name Egleria fluctuans is now regarded as a synonym of Eleocharis fluctuans.¹² Hinchliff and co-workers transferred the species to Eleocharis in 2010 on the basis of genetic data; previously it was the only species of the genus Egleria.³⁵ This member of the sedge family is known from northern Brazil, Venezuela and eastern Colombia, where it grows in rivers and swamps with soft, salt-poor water.²³⁵

The thin, reddish brown shoots root in the substrate and grow erect or floating; at the nodes, tufts of 15–25 culms each, hair-fine and 3–7 cm long, are arranged alternately.³⁵ The species is considered difficult and light-demanding;³⁴ it also requires soft, acidic water, CO₂ and regular nutrient supply; water that is too hard or alkaline makes it turn black and stop growing.³ It is hardly obtainable in the trade, and even the few imports survived in the aquarium only temporarily.³⁵

1. Egleria fluctuans – Flowgrow aquatic plant database (accessed 5 October 2026)
2. Eleocharis fluctuans – Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (WCVP data as of 4 June 2026, accessed 5 October 2026)
3. Eleocharis fluctuans – Flowgrow aquatic plant database (accessed 5 October 2026)
4. Egleria Fluctuans – The Barr Report, knowledge base (accessed 5 October 2026)
5. Kasselmann, C. (2019): Aquarienpflanzen. 4th edition (German). - Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart: p. 339.