Also called “daonoi” or “downoi” (Thai for “litte star”), Pogostemon helferi has been known to science for over 120 years, however, it was only discovered for aquaristic purposes in 1996, by Nonn Panitvong and Arthit Prasartkul, who found it in the Thai province Kanchanaburi, on the border to Myanmar. Within only a short period, P. helferi has become a very popular aquarium plant for the fore- and middleground.
These authors found the species on a fast-flowing river with limestone ground. The plants grow on and between rocks, submersed for most of the rainy season in summer, and often in a strong current. During autumn and winter, the populations of P. helferi fall dry and form upright shoots with striking flower spikes typical for the genus Pogostemon