A Fresh Experiment: Turning A Terrestial Plant Aquatic

In my backyard I was looking around for a plant I could put in an aquarium and this is what I found. Pilea Microphylla isn't really a plant meant for underwater settings but I found the plant interesting.

Naturally, when I first saw the plant I thought it was a tiny succulent so I figured my first step was to identify the plant. When cross referencing the image with other plants, I was able to use my cellphone to tell what species it could be. I also used Google and other AI tech to assist me. All the information pointed me to Pilea Microphylla.

What I learned so far is that the plant is a perennial and an evergreen. The seeds are very small and the flowers aren't really impressive. The plant is meant to be grown in moist shaded areas, and enjoys warm tropical weather.

My goal for the plant is to try and selectively breed the plant to be more effective in aquatic conditions. The goal isn't to make this terrestrial plant aquatic, but if that is a possibility then maybe that would be the ultimate goal.

I took around seven of these plants from its native Florida environment and put three in a pot to be grown indoors and four in an aquarium tank on the shallow side where its very moist, but not underwater.