Anubias Coin Leaf

Care at a glance

Overview

Attach the rhizome to wood or stone with thread or plant-safe glue and keep it above the substrate so it does not rot. It reaches about 15 cm tall over time and works well in the midground or as a rounded accent against finer-leaved plants. Growth is slow, light demands are low, and no CO2 is needed, though keeping it lightly shaded helps prevent algae on the broad leaves.

In the wild

Coin Leaf is a selected cultivar of Anubias barteri, a genus native to the shaded rivers and streams of western and central Africa where the plants grow as epiphytes on rocks and driftwood. It shares the wild habit of a creeping rhizome that anchors to hardscape rather than rooting in soil.

Good to know

The cultivar is prized for its nearly circular, deep green leaves measuring roughly 4 to 6 cm across, a rounded outline that sets it apart from the pointed or lance-shaped leaves of most Anubias. It belongs to the Araceae family and, like other barteri forms, carries thick leathery foliage that resists nibbling from fish and shrimp.

Did you know

The round leaves are the whole appeal here, and because Anubias leaves are so long-lived, a healthy Coin Leaf can hold the same coins of foliage for a year or more, giving aquascapes a stable, sculptural look that faster plants cannot.

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