Some plants thrive in higher pH water, some don't, depends on species.
I live near Lake Gatun Panama, where I collected a number of my plants, and pH sometime hovers at around 9.
As you can see, plants are everywhere.
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And because of the water here, my tank easily hovers around pH 8 (sometimes higher, sometimes lower), that tank below, and
the plants are doing fairly well
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If you take some pH and other strips along where you collect, you can find out what the plants and fish you collect are accustomed to.
I usually take a kit along when I collect to give me an idea of the local conditions and reality.