Myriophyllum propinquum

The name Myriophyllum propinquum was used for a long time for various Australian Myriophyllum populations. According to current understanding, the species M. propinquum occurs only in New Zealand, whereas the Australian plants belong to other species, e.g. Myriophyllum simulans and M. variifolium.

A Myriophyllum from East Asia has also been partly counted as M. propinquum. This plant, however, is Myriophyllum ussuriense.

The aquarium plants available in the trade as Myriophyllum propinquum (also as "M. propinum" and even "M. proprium") probably do not belong to this New Zealand Myriophyllum species but to Myriophyllum simulans. They are likely to derive from the milfoil that Piet van der Vlugt introduced to Europe from Australia in 1983 under the name M. propinquum. This Australian plant was later identified as M. simulans.

We do not know whether true Myriophyllum propinquum from New Zealand is cultivated as an aquarium plant, or whether it is suitable for that at all. Therefore no information can be given here on the cultivation requirements of this species.

On some aquarium websites one finds the statement that M. propinquum originates from South America. No evidence for this can be found in the scientific literature, however.

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