Brazilian Pennywort

Native to Central and South America, Brazilian Pennywort is one of those plants that makes new hobbyists feel like they actually know what they're doing. The round, scalloped leaves are genuinely distinctive, sitting along flexible creeping stems that sprawl in whatever direction suits them.

You can push the stems into substrate and it'll root happily, or drop it in and let it float, and it honestly doesn't care much either way. Floating colonies grow especially fast, and the plant will readily climb toward the surface and then creep along the waterline or even grow emersed if it gets the chance. It thrives in a wide range of conditions and doesn't demand CO2 or intense lighting to stay healthy and green.

Trimming is just a matter of cutting stems wherever you want and either replanting the tops or tossing the excess. It works beautifully as a background plant, a midwater floating mass, or even a surface cover for tanks housing fish that appreciate shaded areas.

If you search planted tank builds online, you'll find pennywort showing up everywhere from simple low-tech setups to lush Dutch-style tanks.