corymbosa It is indigenous to selected countries of Southeast Asia like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and India.

The plant naturally grows as an emergent, but it can survive long periods fully submerged.

If it is allowed to grow out of the aquarium, it will bear purple scented flowers, often causing the lower leaves to drop.

There are several forms in the aquarium trade such as red, siamensis compacta and many others, that seem to be mainly ecological variants, colour variation depends upon illumination, and the amount of iron available.

The plant is reported to be useful for absorbing ammonium and nitrates and helping to fight algal growth.