Anubias Dragon Claw

Anubias barteri var. glabra 'Dragon Claw'

One of 25 forms of Anubias barteri · See all forms →

Also known as Anubias minima Dragon Claw, Dragon Claw Anubias, Anubias barteri var. glabra 'Minima Dragon Claw'

FreshwaterRhizomeRhizome division

Forms · Anubias barteri

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Care at a glance

Light: Low light
CO2: No CO₂ needed
Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Epiphyte
Type: Rhizome
Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Hardness: 2–15 dGH
Max height: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Spread: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Easy
Origin: Cultivar (parent variety native to West Africa, Guinea to Gabon)
Family: Araceae

Overview

One of the easiest ways to add texture to hardscape. Glue or thread the rhizome onto wood or rock, keep the rhizome proud of the substrate so it does not rot, and it will grow slowly in almost any stable tank. Low to medium light and no CO2 are fine; strong light mostly buys you algae on the slow old leaves. The stiff leaves shrug off grazing fish. Divide the rhizome with at least three leaves per section to propagate.

In the wild

'Dragon Claw' is a nursery selection of Anubias barteri var. glabra, so its habitat is the farm, not the wild. The parent variety lives along West African rainforest streams from Guinea to Gabon, gripping rock and wood at the waterline, emersed in the wet season spray and submersed when the water comes up.

Good to know

Family Araceae. It sits within Anubias barteri var. glabra, the variable narrow-leaved variety that also covers the plants sold as minima, and shops often label it Anubias minima Dragon Claw. What sets it apart is horticultural, not botanical: narrow, elongated dark green leaves with irregular, curled margins that give each leaf a claw-like outline, occasionally flecked with lighter variegation.

Did you know

Every leaf sets its own claw. The curl of the margin is irregular rather than uniform, so a grown clump reads as a tangle of different claw shapes instead of a tidy rosette, which is exactly why aquascapers reach for it as a focal point.